# KeystoneJS

The superpowered headless CMS for Node.js — built with GraphQL and React

Repository: https://github.com/keystonejs/keystone
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/keystonejs
Homepage: https://keystonejs.com
Language: TypeScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: cms, cms-framework, graphql, nodejs, react, keystonejs
Last push: 2026-08-26T06:41:01+00:00
Link (homepage): https://keystonejs.com
Link (site_page): https://keystonejs.com/docs
Link (site_page): https://keystonejs.com/why-keystone
Link (site_page): https://keystonejs.com/docs/guides/document-field-demo
Link (site_page): https://keystonejs.com/docs/getting-started

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 98, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3072, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 14, "gap_med": 6, "n_releases_24m": 14}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 9963, forks 1261 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:38.998816+00:00)

## What it is
KeystoneJS is a Node.js headless CMS and web application framework for defining schemas that generate a GraphQL API and an auto-generated Admin UI. The classic Express/Mongoose-based version is archived, while Keystone 6 is actively developed with support for Postgres, MySQL, and SQLite.

## Use cases
- build a headless cms with graphql api
- create a nodejs backend with admin dashboard
- define content models and get a graphql api automatically
- add authentication and access control to a node app
- manage structured content with a rich text editor
- build a custom backend without boilerplate
- self-host a cms for a website or app

## When to choose
- you want a schema-driven GraphQL backend with an auto-generated admin UI
- you need fine-grained access control and session management in a Node.js app
- you prefer defining content types in code over configuring a traditional CMS
- you want TypeScript support and relational databases like Postgres

## When to avoid
- you need the classic Express/Mongoose version - it is archived and unmaintained
- you want a fully non-technical, plugin-based CMS like WordPress
- your project requires a database other than Postgres, MySQL, or SQLite
- you need a lightweight microservice without CMS features

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: active
- function: web-framework, api-framework, graphql, auth, orm, templating, cli
- domain: web-development, cms, backend, apis, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: headless-cms, admin-ui, mongoose, express, content-management, schema-driven, keystone-6, nodejs, javascript, web-server

## Member repositories
- keystonejs/keystone (main) score 99
- keystonejs/keystone-classic (mirror) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:38.998816+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 2026-08-29T17:12:31.060947+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/keystonejs/keystone (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:38.998816+00:00, sha 9dd8af86fce2)
  - homepage: https://keystonejs.com (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:36.084119+00:00, sha 5184c3d0a281)
  - site_page: https://keystonejs.com/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:36.093455+00:00, sha 79be51bc26e8)
  - site_page: https://keystonejs.com/docs/guides/document-field-demo (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:36.097404+00:00, sha e4e2bf13e4d0)
  - site_page: https://keystonejs.com/docs/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:36.099316+00:00, sha c2e0c18067f5)
  - site_page: https://keystonejs.com/docs/guides (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:36.101047+00:00, sha c0ca64ca0004)
  - site_page: https://keystonejs.com/docs/apis (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:36.103080+00:00, sha 98776c4cead0)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/keystone-classic (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:36.107197+00:00, sha 361547fb5077)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/keystone (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:36.108868+00:00, sha 741952123f2e)
  - site_page: https://keystonejs.com/why-keystone (fetched 2026-08-29T08:06:36.095601+00:00, sha ce5e66903dea)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.