2014 – Creation and Initial Release
Grav was created by Andy Miller (rhukster), Djamil Legato, and Matias Griese and first released on July 30, 2014. The name “Grav” is a shortened version of “gravity.” The project originated from Andy Miller’s vision of a fast, simple, and flexible CMS that doesn’t require a database.
2014-2015 – Beta Development
Grav spent just over a year in beta development, with nearly 50 beta releases. The Admin Plugin was announced in October 2014, providing a web-based interface for content management.
2016 – Best Open Source CMS Award
Grav won the CMS Critic Award for Best Open Source CMS in 2016, recognizing its innovative flat-file approach and strong community adoption.
2017 – Best Flat File CMS Award
Grav won the CMS Critic Award for Best Flat File CMS in 2017, establishing itself as the leading flat-file CMS in the market.
2019-2021 – Consecutive Awards
Grav continued to dominate the flat-file CMS category, winning Best Flat File CMS for four consecutive years (2017, 2019, 2020, 2021).
2020 – PHP Requirements Update
Grav 1.7 raised minimum PHP requirements to 7.3.6, enabling more modern PHP syntax and better security features.
2024 – Grav 1.7 Stable
Grav 1.7.49 was released in October 2024 as the latest stable version, with continued maintenance and security updates.
2024-2025 – Grav 1.8 Beta
Grav 1.8.0 beta was released in November 2024, introducing PHP 8.2+ compatibility and modern improvements. The beta continues with regular updates (1.8.0-beta.29 as of December 2025).
Today – Leading Flat-File CMS
Grav remains the most starred PHP CMS on GitHub (14,500+ stars) and continues to be maintained by the core team including Andy Miller. It’s widely used for blogs, business sites, portfolios, documentation, and e-commerce.
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Founders | Andy Miller (rhukster), Djamil Legato, Matias Griese |
| Initial Release | July 30, 2014 |
| License | MIT License |
| Current Stable | 1.7.49.5 (October 2024) |
| Current Beta | 1.8.0-beta.29 (December 2025) |
| Written In | PHP |
| Awards | Best Open Source CMS 2016, Best Flat File CMS 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 |
| GitHub Stars | 14,500+ (most starred PHP CMS) |
| Repository | https://github.com/getgrav/grav |
| Official Site | https://getgrav.org |