Open-Source CMS · textpattern

textpattern

Textpattern is a free, open-source PHP-based content management system (CMS) designed for flexibility and ease of use. It requires PHP and MySQL, runs on standard web servers, and supports multi-site configurations. The project is actively maintained with a v4.9.1 release in February 2026 and ongoing development toward version 5.

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Source: GitHub — github.com/textpattern/textpattern

876

GitHub stars

110

Forks

PHP

Primary language

GPL-2.0

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	textpattern/textpattern
Owner	textpattern
Primary language	PHP
License	GPL-2.0 — OSI-approved
Stars	876
Forks	110
Open issues	83
Latest release	4.9.1 (2026-02-14)
Last updated	2026-06-27
Source	https://github.com/textpattern/textpattern

What textpattern is

Textpattern is a GPL-2.0 licensed PHP CMS with a 17-year history, 876 GitHub stars, and active development (last push June 2026). It runs on PHP with MySQL, supports Apache and Nginx, and includes contributions under LGPL and BSD-3 licenses. Development targets vendor-supported PHP and MySQL versions for future releases.

Quickstart

Get the textpattern source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/textpattern/textpattern.git2cd textpattern3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Small to medium-sized editorial sites and blogs

Textpattern's design prioritizes content management simplicity and elegance, making it well-suited for publishers, writers, and editorial teams managing regular content updates without complex custom workflows.

Multi-site deployments

The README explicitly highlights multi-site functionality, suggesting Textpattern can host multiple independent sites from a single installation—useful for agencies or organizations managing several related properties.

Self-hosted, full-control environments

As GPL-licensed open-source software running on standard LAMP/LEMP stacks, Textpattern suits teams wanting complete control over hosting, data, and customization without SaaS vendor lock-in.

Implementation considerations

Verify server PHP and MySQL versions meet or exceed stated system requirements before deployment; recommended versions align with vendor active support policies.
Multi-site functionality requires .tar.gz or .tar.xz archive format rather than .zip—confirm deployment tooling supports the chosen archive type.
Textpattern 5 (in development) may have breaking changes to system requirements; review CONTRIBUTING.md and dev branch for anticipated shifts if long-term compatibility is critical.
Installation and upgrade procedures are documented in README.txt and UPGRADE.txt respectively; allocate time for testing upgrades in non-production before production roll-out.
Community support is forum-based; for mission-critical deployments, consider whether forum-only support meets your incident response SLA requirements.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Enterprise-scale deployments requiring SLA support — Textpattern is community-supported via forums and sponsorships; it lacks a commercial support organization offering SLAs or dedicated incident response. Enterprise buyers should evaluate commercial alternatives.
Headless/API-first architecture required — The README positions Textpattern as a traditional CMS with web server requirements; no mention of REST APIs, GraphQL, or headless capabilities. If your architecture demands decoupled content delivery, evaluate dedicated headless CMSs.
Organizations unable to manage PHP/MySQL infrastructure — Textpattern requires self-hosted PHP and MySQL; there is no managed SaaS offering mentioned. Teams without DevOps capacity or preferring fully managed platforms should consider cloud-hosted alternatives.
Projects requiring extensive out-of-the-box ecommerce — No mention of native ecommerce features, payment gateway integrations, or cart functionality. Ecommerce-focused projects should evaluate dedicated platforms or mature ecommerce CMS plugins.

License & commercial use

Textpattern is released under GNU General Public License v2.0 (GPL-2.0). It includes contributions under GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) and New BSD License (BSD-3). All license terms are available in LICENSE.txt, LICENSE-LESSER.txt, and LICENSE-BSD-3.txt in the repository.

GPL-2.0 is a copyleft license requiring derivative works and distributions to be licensed under GPL-2.0 and source made available. Commercial use of unmodified Textpattern is permitted; however, any modifications must remain open-source under GPL-2.0. Organizations offering Textpattern as a hosted service or modifying it for clients should seek legal review to ensure compliance. No commercial support organization, warranty, or indemnification is mentioned.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Adequate
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	Low
DEV.co fit	Good
Assessment confidence	High

Security considerations

GPL-2.0 source availability enables community security review. No security audit, penetration test results, or vulnerability disclosure policy are mentioned. PHP CMS projects require continuous dependency updates (PHP, MySQL); Textpattern 5 targets vendor-supported versions, suggesting awareness of security deprecation. Organizations must verify patch cadence, validate third-party plugin security, and apply standard web hardening (WAF, TLS, etc.). No security certification or compliance claims are stated.

Alternatives to consider

WordPress

Significantly larger ecosystem (1M+ plugins), more extensive documentation, commercial hosting/support available, and broader adoption—but with greater complexity and security surface area.

Statamic

Modern PHP CMS with Laravel foundation, headless/API-first design, and contemporary developer experience—better for API-driven architectures but with smaller community than Textpattern.

Craft CMS

Flexible, content-modeling-focused PHP CMS with strong documentation and headless capabilities—suitable for complex content structures but requires more developer expertise and licensing for multi-site use.

Software development agency

Build on textpattern with DEV.co software developers

Contact our engineering team to assess fit for your use case, infrastructure, and support requirements. We can help evaluate GPL compliance, deployment strategy, and integration considerations.

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textpattern FAQ

Does Textpattern offer hosted/SaaS deployment?

No. Textpattern is self-hosted only; it requires a web server with PHP and MySQL. No managed hosting or SaaS offering is mentioned in the README or repository.

Can I modify Textpattern code for commercial projects?

Yes, but with GPL-2.0 obligations: any distribution of modified code must remain open-source under GPL-2.0 and include source code. Internal use without distribution is generally permitted. Consult legal counsel for complex commercial scenarios.

What support channels are available?

Community-driven: support forum (forum.textpattern.com), Mastodon, and X social presence. No commercial support contracts, SLAs, or dedicated support team are mentioned. Sponsorships fund development.

Does Textpattern support headless/API-first usage?

Not clearly stated in the provided documentation. The README positions Textpattern as a traditional web server-based CMS; no REST API, GraphQL, or headless capability is mentioned. Requires review of technical documentation or dev branch.

Custom software development services

DEV.co is a software development agency delivering custom software development services to companies building on open source. Our software developers and web developers design, integrate, and ship production systems — spanning web development, APIs, AI, data, and cloud. If textpattern is part of your open-source cms roadmap, our team can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.

Ready to evaluate Textpattern for your project?

Contact our engineering team to assess fit for your use case, infrastructure, and support requirements. We can help evaluate GPL compliance, deployment strategy, and integration considerations.

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