Getting started
CairnCMS is open content and data infrastructure for self-hosted teams. Use it to model data, manage content, expose APIs, and automate workflows from one workspace built on SQL tables you control. Your SQL schema defines the model; CairnCMS adds the governed workspace around it (admin app, REST and GraphQL API, role-based permissions, file management, dashboards, automation). This section is the first stop for someone new to the project: it covers what the platform is, how to run one, how the pieces fit together, and the vocabulary you will encounter throughout the rest of the docs.
If you already have a CairnCMS instance running and want to know how to do specific things in the admin app, skip ahead to Guides. If you want to integrate a frontend or build extensions, Develop is the right starting point.
Pages in this section
Section titled “Pages in this section”- Introduction — what CairnCMS is, where it sits relative to other CMS tools, and the design principles behind it.
- Quickstart — spin up a CairnCMS instance with Docker Compose in a few minutes. The fastest path to a running platform you can experiment with.
- Architecture — how the API, admin app, database, file storage, and supporting services fit together.
- App overview — a tour of the admin app’s modules: Content, User Directory, File Library, Insights, Help, Settings.
- Glossary — definitions for the platform-specific terms used throughout the docs (collections, fields, items, presets, accountability, and so on).
- Community and support — where to ask questions, file bugs, follow the project, and find paid support.
Where to go after this section
Section titled “Where to go after this section”- Guides — operator and content-author tasks in the admin app.
- Manage — operating the platform: configuration, deployment, security, backups, upgrades.
- Develop — building against the API and customizing the platform.
- API reference — REST and GraphQL endpoints, query DSL, system collections.