# ckeditor/ckeditor4

The best enterprise-grade WYSIWYG editor. Fully customizable with countless features and plugins.

Repository: https://github.com/ckeditor/ckeditor4
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ckeditor4
Homepage: https://ckeditor.com/ckeditor-4
Language: Rich Text Format
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: ckeditor4, ckeditor, rich-text-editor, wysiwyg, html-editor, contenteditable, rte
Last push: 2026-07-10T07:06:26+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 73/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 91, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5126, "days_push": 54, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5820, forks 2446 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:30.069182+00:00)

## What it is
CKEditor 4 is a widely used browser-based WYSIWYG rich-text HTML editor with a plugin-based architecture and extensive customization options. The open-source version reached end of life in June 2023; this repository now hosts the commercially licensed CKEditor 4 LTS edition with security fixes guaranteed until December 2029.

## Use cases
- add a wysiwyg rich text editor to a web form
- embed an html editor in a cms admin panel
- let users format content without writing html
- customize a rich text editor with plugins
- maintain a legacy app still using ckeditor 4
- edit html content in the browser with toolbar controls

## When to choose
- you are maintaining an existing application already built on CKEditor 4 and need continued security patches via the LTS program
- you need a mature, plugin-rich WYSIWYG editor compatible with legacy browsers and older stacks
- you can accept the commercial Extended Support license terms through 2029

## When to avoid
- you are starting a new project - CKEditor 4 is past end of life and the open-source version receives no security updates
- you want a fully open-source editor without commercial licensing obligations
- you need modern features like real-time collaboration or AI assistance, which are CKEditor 5 offerings

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: ui-components, editor, frontend-framework, plugin-system
- domain: web-development, frontend, text-editors, developer-tools
- platform: browser, cross-platform
- tags: wysiwyg, rich-text-editor, html-editor, contenteditable, ckeditor4, lts, end-of-life, commercial-license, nodejs

## Member repositories
- ckeditor/ckeditor4 (main) score 73

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:30.069182+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:52:11.368661+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ckeditor/ckeditor4 (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:30.069182+00:00, sha 39c97ed659fd)
  - homepage: https://ckeditor.com/ckeditor-4 (fetched 2026-08-29T08:47:44.216416+00:00, sha 2ad501d34c2c)
  - site_page: https://ckeditor.com/ckeditor-5/capabilities/customization-features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:47:44.258731+00:00, sha 49e88b2c6ef8)
  - site_page: https://ckeditor.com/ckeditor-5/capabilities/core-editing-features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:47:44.260722+00:00, sha 75681c96225f)
  - site_page: https://ckeditor.com/ckeditor-5/features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:47:44.225779+00:00, sha 3ac622e60a21)
  - site_page: https://ckeditor.com/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:47:44.227954+00:00, sha e5ca8caea5d0)
  - site_page: https://ckeditor.com/ckeditor-5/capabilities/ai-features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:47:44.229779+00:00, sha 22d192221ebb)
  - site_page: https://ckeditor.com/ckeditor-5/capabilities/productivity-features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:47:44.232962+00:00, sha 418aeb8d60dc)
  - site_page: https://ckeditor.com/ckeditor-5/capabilities/collaboration-features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:47:44.235204+00:00, sha 1d8161c7fa22)
  - site_page: https://ckeditor.com/ckeditor-5/capabilities/content-conversion-and-embedding-features (fetched 2026-08-29T08:47:44.247513+00:00, sha 2a6355a07834)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.