Grav is a self-hosted flat-file CMS used to manage structured content and publish websites. Unlike traditional database-driven CMS platforms, Grav stores content in Markdown files, making it fast, simple, and easy to version control. It supports editorial workflows, content organization, and flexible presentation layers, making it suitable for everything from small blogs to complex documentation sites.
Grav was created by Andy Miller, Djamil Legato, and Matias Griese in 2014 and has won multiple CMS Critic Awards for Best Flat File CMS.
- Flat-file architecture: No database required, content stored in Markdown files
- Markdown editor: Easy content creation with powerful Markdown support
- Twig templating: Flexible theme system with inheritance
- GPM (Grav Package Manager): One-click installs for plugins and themes
- Taxonomies: Unlimited content filtering (tags, categories, authors)
- Custom content types: Dynamic content fields and modular content
- Multi-language support: Built-in mechanism for multiple languages
- Image processing: Dynamic image manipulation with automatic caching
- Admin plugin: Intuitive web-based interface (optional)
- Git-friendly: Content and configuration in plain text files
- Self-hosted installation on Linux (Apache, Nginx, or PHP built-in server)
- Containerized deployment with Docker (official image available)
- Shared hosting compatible (no database required)
| Component |
Grav 1.7 |
Grav 1.8 (beta) |
| PHP |
7.3.6+ |
8.2+ |
| Web Server |
Apache/Nginx/LiteSpeed/IIS |
Same |
| Database |
None (flat-file) |
None (flat-file) |
| RAM |
128MB+ |
256MB+ |
| Disk |
500MB+ |
500MB+ |
curl, ctype, dom, gd, json, mbstring, openssl, session, simplexml, xml, zip
- License: MIT License (open-source)
- Cost: Free (self-hosted)
- Premium themes/plugins: Available from third parties
- Current Stable: 1.7.49.5 (October 2024)
- Current Beta: 1.8.0-beta.29 (December 2025)
¶ History and References
Any questions?
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