Textpattern

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What Textpattern is

Textpattern is a free, open-source content management system for building self-hosted websites. Its tag-based template language controls how dynamic content is retrieved and displayed, and can be used alongside HTML and CSS. Publishing features include browser-based image and file organization, content categories, comments, web feeds, visitor logs, and password-protected articles. The system supports editorial workflows, multilingual content, SEO tools, a media library, and custom content types, but not custom user roles. Textile formatting is built in, while Markdown is available through a plugin. Community extensions can add capabilities, and developers can write plugins in PHP; the official plugin directory includes an integrations category. Textpattern is intended for web designers, developers, publishers, bloggers, and corporate or personal blog authors. It runs on Apache or Nginx with PHP and MySQL, for which the project recommends current vendor-supported versions. MariaDB is not officially supported. The project provides documentation and a community forum for support, and says it is run by a small volunteer team that accepts donations.

Who it suits

Textpattern may suit web designers, developers, publishers, bloggers, and authors managing corporate or personal blogs. It is for people prepared to host a CMS on an Apache or Nginx server with PHP and MySQL.

What it does well

Free and open-source under GPLv2
Supports multilingual content and SEO tools
Includes editorial workflows and custom content types
Community plugins can extend the CMS
Documentation and a community forum are available

What to know first

Does not support custom user roles
Requires self-hosted Apache or Nginx with PHP and MySQL
MariaDB is not officially supported

Limits

Textpattern requires Apache or Nginx, PHP, and MySQL. MariaDB is not officially supported, and custom user roles are unavailable.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Textpattern CMS	Free, open-source CMS · GPLv2	Free

As textpattern.com lists them, read 10 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Choose a ZIP, TAR.GZ, or TAR.XZ release archive.
Set up an Apache or Nginx web server with PHP and MySQL.
Use current vendor-supported versions, as the project recommends.
Consult the user documentation or community forum for support.

Verdict

Textpattern combines website publishing, template control, and extensibility in a free self-hosted CMS. Its server requirements and lack of custom user roles are important considerations for prospective users.

Questions

How much does Textpattern cost?

The Textpattern CMS plan is free. It is a free, open-source CMS under GPLv2.

Can I host Textpattern myself?

Yes. It is self-hosted and runs on an Apache or Nginx web server with PHP and MySQL.

Does Textpattern support multilingual content and SEO?

Yes. It supports multilingual content and includes SEO tools.

Can I use Markdown?

Textile formatting is built in. Markdown is available through a plugin.

Does it support custom user roles?

No. Textpattern does not support custom user roles.

What support is available?

Support is provided through user documentation and a community forum where core developers regularly answer questions.

Facts from Textpattern's own pages

Audience: The project describes Textpattern as suited to web designers, developers, publishers, bloggers, and corporate or personal blog authors. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Compatibility limit: MariaDB is not officially supported at present, although the 4.9.1 release fixes a reported issue for MariaDB 11.8 users. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Custom content types: Yes · textpattern.com, 22 Sept 2026
Custom user roles: No · textpattern.com, 22 Sept 2026
Editorial workflows: Yes · textpattern.com, 22 Sept 2026
Extensibility: Textpattern can be extended with community plugins, and developers can create plugins in PHP. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Formatting: Textile formatting is built in, while Markdown is available through a plugin. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · textpattern.com, 22 Sept 2026
Integrations: The official plugin directory lists integrations as a plugin category and shows 45 plugins in total. · plugins.textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Media library: Yes · textpattern.com, 22 Sept 2026
Multilingual content: Yes · textpattern.com, 22 Sept 2026
Platform type: self_hosted · textpattern.com, 22 Sept 2026
Product: Textpattern is a free, open-source content management system for building websites. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Project model: Textpattern says it is run as a voluntary project by a small team and accepts donations to support the project. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Publishing: The CMS supports browser-based image and file organization, content categorization, comments, web feeds, visitor logs, and password-protected articles. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Release format: Textpattern 4.9.1 is available as ZIP, TAR.GZ, and TAR.XZ archives, with the latter two including extra multisite support files and symbolic links. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Security: The 4.9.1 release addresses two reported security issues, including authenticated stored XSS and an article-management access-control regression. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Self-hosting requirements: Textpattern runs on an Apache or Nginx web server with PHP and MySQL; the project recommends current vendor-supported versions. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
SEO tools: Yes · textpattern.com, 22 Sept 2026
Support: Support is provided through user documentation and a community forum where core developers regularly answer questions. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026
Templates: Its built-in tag-based template language controls how dynamic content is retrieved and displayed, and can be combined with HTML and CSS. · textpattern.com, 10 Oct 2026

Where Textpattern stands on Freedom251

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