https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash
EmDash is a full-stack TypeScript CMS based on Astro; the spiritual successor to WordPress
https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash
astro cms emdash typescript
Last synced: about 20 hours ago
JSON representation
EmDash is a full-stack TypeScript CMS based on Astro; the spiritual successor to WordPress
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash
- Owner: emdash-cms
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-04-01T08:45:02.000Z (4 days ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-04-03T22:08:22.000Z (2 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-04-03T22:09:55.883Z (2 days ago)
- Topics: astro, cms, emdash, typescript
- Language: TypeScript
- Homepage: https://emdashcms.com
- Size: 9.43 MB
- Stars: 5,979
- Watchers: 49
- Forks: 399
- Open Issues: 114
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
- Agents: AGENTS.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
- stars - emdash - stack TypeScript CMS based on Astro; the spiritual successor to WordPress | emdash-cms | 5764 | (TypeScript)
- awesome-github-repos - emdash-cms/emdash - EmDash is a full-stack TypeScript CMS based on Astro; the spiritual successor to WordPress (TypeScript)
README
# EmDash
A full-stack TypeScript CMS built on [Astro](https://astro.build/) and [Cloudflare](https://www.cloudflare.com/). EmDash takes the ideas that made WordPress dominant -- extensibility, admin UX, a plugin ecosystem -- and rebuilds them on serverless, type-safe foundations. Plugins run in sandboxed Worker isolates, solving the fundamental security problem with WordPress's plugin architecture.
## Get Started
> [!IMPORTANT]
> EmDash depends on Dynamic Workers to run secure sandboxed plugins. Dynamic Workers are currently only available on paid accounts. [Upgrade your account](https://www.cloudflare.com/plans/developer-platform/) (starting at $5/mo) or comment out the `worker_loaders` block of your `wrangler.jsonc` configuration file to disable plugins.
```bash
npm create emdash@latest
```
Or deploy directly to your Cloudflare account:
[](https://deploy.workers.cloudflare.com/?url=https://github.com/emdash-cms/templates/tree/main/blog-cloudflare)
EmDash runs on Cloudflare (D1 + R2 + Workers) or any Node.js server with SQLite. No PHP, no separate hosting tier -- just deploy your Astro site.
## Templates
EmDash ships with three starter templates:
### Blog
A classic blog with sidebar widgets, search, and RSS.
- Categories & tags
- Full-text search
- RSS feed
- Comment-ready
- Dark/light mode
### Marketing
A conversion-focused landing page with pricing and contact form.
- Hero with CTAs
- Feature grid
- Pricing cards
- FAQ accordion
- Contact form
### Portfolio
A visual portfolio for showcasing creative work.
- Project grid
- Tag filtering
- Case study pages
- RSS feed
- Dark/light mode
## Why EmDash?
**WordPress was built for a different era.** Running WordPress today means managing PHP alongside JavaScript, layering caches to get acceptable performance, and knowing that [96% of WordPress security vulnerabilities come from plugins](https://patchstack.com/whitepaper/state-of-wordpress-security-in-2024/). EmDash is what WordPress would look like if you started from scratch with today's tools.
**Sandboxed plugins.** WordPress plugins have full access to the database, filesystem, and user data. A single vulnerable plugin can compromise the entire site. EmDash plugins run in isolated [Worker sandboxes](https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/runtime-apis/bindings/worker-loader/) via Dynamic Worker Loaders, each with a declared capability manifest. A plugin that requests `read:content` and `email:send` can do exactly that and nothing else.
```typescript
export default () =>
definePlugin({
id: "notify-on-publish",
capabilities: ["read:content", "email:send"],
hooks: {
"content:afterSave": async (event, ctx) => {
if (event.content.status !== "published") return;
await ctx.email.send({
to: "editors@example.com",
subject: `New post: ${event.content.title}`,
});
},
},
});
```
**Structured content, not serialized HTML.** WordPress stores rich text as HTML with metadata embedded in comments -- tying your content to its DOM representation. EmDash uses [Portable Text](https://www.portabletext.org/), a structured JSON format that decouples content from presentation. Your content can render as a web page, a mobile app, an email, or an API response without parsing HTML.
**Built for agents.** EmDash ships with agent skills for building plugins and themes, a CLI that lets agents manage content and schema programmatically, and a built-in [MCP server](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) so AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT can interact with your site directly.
**Runs anywhere.** EmDash uses portable abstractions at every layer -- Kysely for SQL, S3 API for storage -- that work with SQLite, D1, Turso, PostgreSQL, R2, AWS S3, or local files. It runs best on Cloudflare, but it's not locked to it.
## How It Works
EmDash is an Astro integration. Add it to your config and you get a complete CMS: admin panel, REST API, authentication, media library, and plugin system.
```typescript
// astro.config.mjs
import emdash from "emdash/astro";
import { d1 } from "emdash/db";
export default defineConfig({
integrations: [emdash({ database: d1() })],
});
```
Content types are defined in the database, not in code. Non-developers create and modify collections through the admin UI. Each collection gets a real SQL table with typed columns. Developers generate TypeScript types from the live schema:
```bash
npx emdash types
```
Query content using Astro's Live Collections -- no rebuilds, no separate API:
```astro
---
import { getEmDashCollection } from "emdash";
const { entries: posts } = await getEmDashCollection("posts");
---
{posts.map((post) => {post.data.title})}
```
## Features
**Content** -- Blog posts, pages, custom content types. Rich text editing via TipTap with Portable Text storage. Revisions, drafts, scheduled publishing, full-text search (FTS5), inline visual editing.
**Admin** -- Full admin panel with visual schema builder, media library (drag-drop uploads via signed URLs), navigation menus, taxonomies, widgets, and a WordPress import wizard.
**Auth** -- Passkey-first (WebAuthn) with OAuth and magic link fallbacks. Role-based access control: Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor.
**Plugins** -- `definePlugin()` API with lifecycle hooks, KV storage, settings, admin pages, dashboard widgets, custom block types, and API routes. Sandboxed execution on Cloudflare via Dynamic Worker Loaders.
**Agents** -- Skill files for AI-assisted plugin and theme development. CLI for programmatic site management. Built-in MCP server for direct AI tool integration.
**WordPress migration** -- Import posts, pages, media, and taxonomies from WXR exports, the WordPress REST API, or WordPress.com. Agent skills help port plugins and themes.
## Portable Platforms
| Layer | Cloudflare | Also works with |
| -------- | --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Database | D1 | SQLite, Turso/libSQL, PostgreSQL |
| Storage | R2 | AWS S3, any S3-compatible service, local filesystem |
| Sessions | KV | Redis, file-based |
| Plugins | Worker isolates (sandboxed) | In-process (safe mode) |
## Status
EmDash is in **beta preview**. We welcome contributions, feedback, plugins, themes, and ideas.
```bash
npm create emdash@latest
```
See the [documentation](https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash/tree/main/docs) for guides, API reference, and plugin development.
## Development
This is a pnpm monorepo. To contribute:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash.git && cd emdash
pnpm install
pnpm build
```
Run the demo (Node.js + SQLite, no Cloudflare account needed):
```bash
pnpm --filter emdash-demo seed
pnpm --filter emdash-demo dev
```
Open the admin at [http://localhost:4321/\_emdash/admin](http://localhost:4321/_emdash/admin).
```bash
pnpm test # run all tests
pnpm typecheck # type check
pnpm lint:quick # fast lint (< 1s)
pnpm format # format with oxfmt
```
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for the full contributor guide.
## Repository Structure
```
packages/
core/ Astro integration, APIs, admin UI, CLI
auth/ Authentication library
blocks/ Portable Text block definitions
cloudflare/ Cloudflare adapter (D1, R2, Worker Loader)
plugins/ First-party plugins (forms, embeds, SEO, audit-log, etc.)
create-emdash/ npm create emdash scaffolding
gutenberg-to-portable-text/ WordPress block converter
templates/ Starter templates (blog, marketing, portfolio, starter, blank)
demos/ Development and example sites
docs/ Documentation site (Starlight)
```