SkyCMS FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions¶

Quick answers to common questions about SkyCMS, comparisons, use cases, and decision-making.

General Questions¶

What is SkyCMS?¶

SkyCMS is an Edge-Native CMS — a modern alternative to traditional CMSs, static site generators, and headless CMSs. It combines the ease-of-use of WordPress with the performance of static sites and flexibility of modern architectures.

Key features: - WYSIWYG editor (CKEditor 5) + visual page builder (GrapesJS) - Static file generation with instant publishing (< 5 seconds) - Multi-cloud deployment (AWS, Azure, Cloudflare) - Built-in team workflows (draft → review → publish) - No Git knowledge required for content creators

Is SkyCMS open source?¶

Yes. SkyCMS is licensed under GPL v2.0 — free to use, modify, and distribute.

Who should use SkyCMS?¶

Best for: - Small to medium sites (1-1000 pages) - Teams mixing developers and non-technical content creators - Projects requiring fast, predictable performance - Multi-tenant SaaS or agency scenarios - Sites needing low operational overhead

Less ideal for: - Very large monolithic platforms (100k+ pages) - Projects requiring deep WordPress plugin ecosystem - Mobile-first apps (SkyCMS is primarily web-focused)

SkyCMS vs. Alternatives¶

How does SkyCMS compare to WordPress?¶

Aspect	SkyCMS	WordPress
Performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Static (~50ms TTFB)	⭐⭐ Dynamic (~300ms+ TTFB)
Editor UX	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Modern (WYSIWYG + Visual)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mature (Gutenberg)
Setup Time	15-30 min	5-15 min (hosting varies)
Learning Curve	Low	Low
Publishing Speed	< 5 sec	Instant (but slower delivery)
Plugins	Growing	Massive ecosystem
Cost	$0-300/year	$0-1400+/year
Maintenance	Low (Docker)	High (plugins, security)
Multi-site	✅ Native multi-tenant	✅ Multisite (complex)

Bottom line: WordPress for maximum customization and plugins; SkyCMS for performance + simplicity.

How does SkyCMS compare to Jekyll/Hugo?¶

Aspect	SkyCMS	Jekyll/Hugo
Non-Tech Users	✅ Yes	❌ No (Git required)
Publishing Speed	< 5 sec	5-30 min (rebuild + deploy)
Setup	Visual wizard	CLI + config files
Team Workflows	✅ Built-in	❌ Git-based
Content Creators	✅ Full UI	❌ Must write Markdown
Cost	$0-300/year	$0-240/year
Hosting	Multi-cloud	Any host (S3, Pages, etc.)

Bottom line: SkyCMS if you have non-technical content creators; Jekyll/Hugo if your team is developer-first.

How does SkyCMS compare to Gatsby?¶

Aspect	SkyCMS	Gatsby
Content Editor	✅ Built-in WYSIWYG	❌ Requires separate CMS
Setup Time	15-30 min	20-45 min (+ data source setup)
Learning Curve	Low	High (React + GraphQL)
Build Time	< 5 sec	2-10 min
Deployment	Direct (Docker)	Vercel/Netlify
Cost	$0-300/year	$0-200+/year
Flexibility	Good	Excellent (React)

Bottom line: SkyCMS for fast launch; Gatsby for maximum customization and React-powered sites.

How does SkyCMS compare to Contentful/Sanity?¶

Aspect	SkyCMS	Contentful/Sanity
Content Editor	✅ Full UI	✅ Modern UI
Setup	15-30 min	30-60 min (+ frontend)
Frontend Required	❌ No (builds HTML)	✅ Yes (React/Next.js/etc.)
Cost	$0-300/year	$348-10,548+/year
Multi-Channel	✅ Web (primary)	✅ Web + Mobile + Custom
Team Size	1-100+	10-1000+

Bottom line: SkyCMS for web-only projects; Contentful/Sanity for multi-channel enterprises.

Deployment & Hosting¶

What cloud providers does SkyCMS support?¶

SkyCMS supports: - Object Storage: AWS S3, Azure Blob, Cloudflare R2, Google Cloud Storage - Databases: MySQL, MS SQL Server, SQLite, Azure Cosmos DB - Hosting Modes: Static (cloud storage + CDN), Dynamic (server-rendered), Edge (origin-less via Cloudflare) - Deployment: Docker-based (any cloud or on-premise)

Can I deploy SkyCMS on-premise?¶

Yes. SkyCMS runs as a Docker container, so you can deploy to: - Kubernetes clusters - Virtual machines (on-premise or cloud) - Managed container services (ECS, Container Instances, etc.)

How much does hosting cost?¶

For a small site (10k pageviews/month): - SkyCMS (S3 + CloudFront): $0-50/year - SkyCMS (Azure Blob + CDN): $0-50/year - SkyCMS (Cloudflare R2): $0-20/year (origin-less edge hosting) - WordPress (traditional hosting): $50-500/year - Contentful (+ custom frontend): $400-2000+/year

Note: Costs scale with traffic and data; SkyCMS remains cheap at scale.

Technical Questions¶

Do I need Git knowledge to use SkyCMS?¶

No. Content creators use the visual editor and never touch Git. Developers can optionally version-control templates via Git if desired.

Can content creators publish instantly?¶

Yes. SkyCMS publishes within < 5 seconds of clicking "Publish." No build pipeline, no waiting.

Is SkyCMS suitable for high-traffic sites?¶

Yes. SkyCMS generates static HTML, so performance is excellent even under load (millions of pageviews possible with CDN). The publishing pipeline is optimized for scale.

Can I use SkyCMS with custom code?¶

Yes. You can: - Write custom HTML/CSS for layouts - Add JavaScript for interactivity - Integrate with external APIs - Use custom plugins/extensions (growing ecosystem)

Does SkyCMS support SEO?¶

Yes. SkyCMS includes: - Page titles, meta descriptions, canonical URLs - Heading hierarchy management - Alt text for images - Sitemap generation - Built-in link validation - Mobile-responsive templates by default

Can I migrate from WordPress to SkyCMS?¶

Yes, but it requires custom tooling. You would: 1. Export WordPress posts/pages 2. Map fields to SkyCMS templates 3. Import via API or bulk operations 4. Test and verify

We recommend consulting with the SkyCMS community or a developer for migration projects.

Team & Workflows¶

Does SkyCMS support multiple editors?¶

Yes. SkyCMS includes: - Multi-user support with role-based access control - Draft/review/publish workflows - Approval gates - Content creator management - Team collaboration features

Can I set up approval workflows?¶

Yes. SkyCMS supports: - Draft → Review → Publish pipelines - Role-based permissions (editor, reviewer, publisher) - Custom approval workflows (via templates) - Audit trails (version history)

Can I train non-technical content creators?¶

Absolutely. SkyCMS is designed for this. We provide: - Training Document Template - Content Creator Onboarding Checklist - Phase 6: Preparing for Handoff Guide

Content creators typically need 1-2 hours to get productive.

Getting Started¶

How long does it take to launch a site with SkyCMS?¶

Timeline (typical 10-page site): - Week 1: Design, planning, layouts, templates (35-55 hours developer time) - Week 2: Build home page, initial pages, SEO setup (25-35 hours developer time) - Week 3: Testing, training, launch prep (10-20 hours) - Total: 3-4 weeks (developer-intensive)

Where do I start?¶

Website Launch Workflow — 6-phase roadmap
Getting Started — Quick start guide
Key Concepts — Core concepts and architecture
What is SkyCMS? — Overview and comparisons

What are the prerequisites?¶

Before launching SkyCMS, you need: - Installed and running SkyCMS (Docker) - Administrator account - Database configured - Storage (S3, Azure, etc.) configured - Publisher verified

See Installation Overview for setup details.

Is there a free trial?¶

Yes. SkyCMS is free and open source. Deploy it locally or to a cloud provider to test.

Support & Community¶

Where can I get help?¶

Documentation: SkyCMS Docs
GitHub: https://github.com/CWALabs/SkyCMS
Issues: Report bugs on GitHub Issues
Community: Check GitHub Discussions for community support

Is SkyCMS actively maintained?¶

Yes. SkyCMS is actively developed with regular updates. Check the Changelog for the latest releases.

Can I contribute?¶

Yes! SkyCMS is open source (GPL 2.0). Contributions are welcome: - Report issues on GitHub - Submit pull requests - Improve documentation - Share extensions and themes

Decision Framework¶

Should I use SkyCMS if...¶

YES, SkyCMS is a good fit if: - ✅ You need fast time-to-launch - ✅ You have non-technical content creators - ✅ You want low maintenance burden - ✅ You need multi-cloud flexibility - ✅ You want instant publishing - ✅ Budget is a concern ($0-300/year possible) - ✅ Team size is 1-100 people - ✅ Site is primarily web-focused

Consider alternatives if: - ❌ You need massive plugin ecosystem (use WordPress) - ❌ Your team is entirely developer-first (consider Jekyll/Hugo) - ❌ You require multi-channel delivery (use Contentful/Sanity) - ❌ You need deeply customized React components (use Gatsby) - ❌ You're building a mobile-first app (use headless CMS + mobile SDKs) - ❌ You need enterprise-level support contracts