Developers

The dotCMS developer Docker image bundles the services required to run the platform. Under the Business Source License (BSL), all features are included — no community vs. enterprise split — and free use is available for individual developers, small businesses, and non-production environments.

Docker configuration pages document environment variables, JVM, database, and search settings you will recognize in production; the dotCMS CLI (dotCLI) is built for driving an instance from the shell in a CI/CD-style workflow.

The docs describe the full set of REST services dotCMS exposes for integration. Before any call succeeds, users and applications must authenticate — so start with auth, then layer in content reads/writes and media handling.

GraphQL is documented as a way to query the content repository directly. The OpenAPI (“All APIs”) view ties the surface area together when you need to validate payloads or share examples with your team.

The Headless SDK overview explains that dotCMS ships tools and components to build headless pages with modern frameworks; the example-project docs are written to get you running quickly on Next.js, Angular, Astro, Laravel, Symfony, and more.

Pair those with content modeling basics — creating a content type and working with content APIs — so your integration story is end-to-end, not just a starter repo.

The JavaScript client library is documented as the piece that performs API calls securely from a browser app or Node server. React and Angular packages add components and hooks designed to work with dotCMS and the Universal Visual Editor; the Types package adds strong typing for UVE work.

The UVE library supports in-context editing flows; Experiments covers A/B testing in headless setups; Analytics tracks content-aware events. The PHP SDK (alpha) is positioned for PHP-based site development alongside the same content APIs.

The Universal Visual Editor documentation describes broad page-editing capabilities for both traditional and headless setups. The headless configuration guide focuses on in-context editing for remote sites and apps — where preview, layout, and permissions must line up with your front-end routes.

The @dotcms/uve SDK page summarizes programmatic support for those same editor flows when your team needs code-level control alongside authoring.

Server-side scripting docs position Velocity for templates, custom fields, containers, and content — dynamic sites without shipping Java for every change. Viewtools are described as the extension point Java developers use to expose safe helpers to template authors.

The Scripting API covers lightweight custom REST endpoints. The Velocity Playground is explicitly for previewing, testing, and debugging templating code before it hits production traffic.

Contributing-code documentation spells out how community members can suggest fixes, follow coding standards, and use GitHub in the contribution process. The open core remains the anchor for releases, issues, and merge requests when you outgrow what ships in the container image alone.

The Guides & tutorials hub explains how to integrate features step-by-step and get more out of built-in tools. Free on-demand training courses summarize what dotCMS covers in structured video form for onboarding and enablement.

The table-of-contents page remains the map when you need breadth after you have started from a guide or course. YouTube supplements with informal walkthroughs and announcements.