ReactPress

The publishing system for React developers

One CLI for a self-hosted CMS, Admin, headless API, Next.js themes, plugins, and desktop writing — MIT licensed.

Quick start · Live demo · Theme demo · Docs · 中文

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Quick start

npm i -g @fecommunity/reactpress
mkdir my-site && cd my-site
reactpress init

Surface	URL
Public site	http://localhost:3001
Admin	http://localhost:3001/admin/ (admin / admin)
API health	http://localhost:3002/api/health

Requirements: Node.js 20+. Default flow uses embedded SQLite — no Docker or external database.

If startup fails, run reactpress doctor.

Current stable: 4.0.0 on npm @latest. Use @beta only for prereleases.

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See it in action

Desktop — offline writing, sync when ready

Visitor site — search · comments · knowledge base · dark mode

_{Official theme demo audit (screenshot): Performance 95, Accessibility 100, Best Practices 100, SEO 100. Re-run on your host and content for current numbers.}

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Why ReactPress?

WordPress-style editing is hard to replace. Headless CMS tools give you an API — then you still build admin, frontend, and ops. ReactPress is the middle path for React teams:

Approach	What you get	What you still own
WordPress	Mature editing	PHP themes / coupled stack
Static generators	Fast HTML	Real CMS for non-developers
Headless CMS	Flexible API	Admin + frontend + deploy glue
ReactPress	CMS + Admin + API + themes + plugins + desktop	Your content and theme code

Who it is for

• React / Next.js developers who want a self-hosted blog or content site without assembling five repos
• Teams that need writers in an Admin UI and engineers owning a Next.js theme
• Anyone comparing WordPress alternatives, headless CMS options, or a Next.js blog stack

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Features

Layer	What ships today
CMS	Posts, pages, media, categories, tags
Admin	Writing UI at /admin/ (same SPA in the browser and desktop)
API	Headless REST + Swagger
Themes	Swappable Next.js visitor frontends (npm-installable)
Plugins	Server hooks + optional Admin slots (seo, hello-world, image-optimizer)
Desktop	Electron + local SQLite mode; optional remote API + sync
CLI	init, doctor, logs, stop

Content stays in the platform. Presentation stays in your theme (or any headless client).

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Comparison

	ReactPress	WordPress	Static sites	Headless CMS
Editing experience	Yes	Yes	No	Partial
Frontend freedom	Yes	Limited	Build-time	Yes
Full stack out of the box	Yes	Via plugins	No	No
Time to first local site	Minutes (reactpress init)	Often longer	Fast per site	Setup + assembly
Offline writing	Desktop app	No	No	No
Default theme Performance	95¹	Theme-dependent	Usually high	Depends on frontend

¹ Lighthouse Performance on the official theme demo (screenshot above). Accessibility / Best Practices / SEO were 100 in that audit.

• vs WordPress — similar editorial workflow; Next.js delivery, no PHP theme lock-in for the public site.
• vs static generators — keep the speed; add a real CMS.
• vs Strapi / Payload — they ship a backend; ReactPress ships CMS + Admin + theme + desktop as one product.

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Themes

Replaceable Next.js frontends. Install and activate in Admin → Appearance → Themes.

npx create-next-app@latest my-blog \
  --example "https://github.com/fecommunity/reactpress-theme-starter" \
  --use-pnpm
cd my-blog && pnpm dev:mock

• Live: reactpress-theme-starter.vercel.app
• Deploy:
• Guide: themes/README.md

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Plugins

Extend the server without forking core. Manage in Admin → Plugins.

Plugin	Capability
seo	Slug, keywords, meta description + Admin editor slot
hello-world	Auto-generate article summaries on publish
image-optimizer	Batch WebP optimization for media

Starter: reactpress-plugin-starter · Guide: plugins/README.md

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Desktop

Same Admin UI, local-first. Local SQLite mode needs no Docker.

Docs	Desktop client
Releases	GitHub Releases (installers when the desktop workflow attaches assets)
From source	pnpm dev:desktop · pnpm build:desktop

Details: desktop/README.md

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Architecture

flowchart TB
  subgraph Authoring["Authoring"]
    CLI["CLI — init · doctor · logs"]
    Admin["Admin — React + Vite · /admin/"]
    Desktop["Desktop — Electron · SQLite"]
  end

  subgraph Core["Platform"]
    API["CMS API — NestJS · :3002"]
    Plugins["Plugins — hooks"]
    DB[("SQLite / MySQL")]
  end

  subgraph Delivery["Delivery"]
    Theme["Active theme — Next.js · :3001"]
    Preview["Theme preview · :3003"]
  end

  CLI --> API
  CLI --> Theme
  Admin -->|REST| API
  Desktop -->|REST| API
  Plugins --> API
  API --> DB
  API -->|JSON| Theme
  API --> Preview
  Admin -.->|iframe| Preview

Loading

Package	Role
cli	Orchestration
server	Business rules, auth, hooks, persistence
web	Admin SPA
themes/*	Visitor SSR/ISR
plugins/*	Incremental logic
desktop	Electron shell over Admin
toolkit	Shared API client and contracts

Design notes: ARCHITECTURE.md

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For developers

Headless by default:

curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "http://localhost:3002/api/article/headless/list?status=publish&page=1&pageSize=10"

Resource	Link
Swagger (local)	http://localhost:3002/api
Theme starter	reactpress-theme-starter
Plugin starter	reactpress-plugin-starter
Docs	docs.gaoredu.com

CLI commands & local ports

Command	Action
reactpress / reactpress init	Initialize and start (SQLite + API + theme)
reactpress init --force	Re-initialize an existing project
reactpress doctor	Diagnose environment and URLs
reactpress logs	Tail API logs
reactpress stop	Stop API and site services

Service	URL / port
Public site	http://localhost:3001
Admin	http://localhost:3001/admin/
API	http://localhost:3002/api

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Deploy

reactpress init runs a local production-style stack (SQLite API + theme with embedded Admin).

• Full-stack hosting (VPS, Docker, PM2, backups): deployment docs
• Theme-only: deploy reactpress-theme-starter and point it at your API

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What's new in 4.0

Stable on npm @latest (codename Extend):

• Plugin system — Hook + plugin.json + Admin slots
• Desktop client — Electron + SQLite local mode, remote sync
• npm theme catalog — installable Next.js themes

4.0 guide · Migrate from 3.x · Changelog

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Roadmap

Item	Tracking
Plugin npm catalog (reactpress plugin add)	#89
Desktop tray / shortcuts / auto-update	#91
Theme & plugin marketplace UI	#92

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FAQ

Do I need Docker?

Not for the default CLI flow — reactpress init uses embedded SQLite. Docker is only required when you configure MySQL via embedded-docker in .reactpress/config.json. Desktop local mode also uses SQLite without Docker.

Can I use my own frontend?

Yes. Use the headless REST API with API keys. Fork the official theme starter or call /api/article, /api/page, and related endpoints.

How is this different from WordPress?

Similar admin-driven workflow, with a Next.js public site, a clean headless path, and no PHP theme stack for visitors.

Is 4.0 production-ready?

Yes. 4.0.0 is the current stable release on npm @latest. When upgrading from 3.x, validate on staging and read the migration guide.

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Contributing

CONTRIBUTING.md · Code of Conduct · SECURITY.md

Issues · Pull requests

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License

MIT · © ReactPress / FECommunity

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If ReactPress saves you from wiring CMS + API + frontend yourself, star the repo so other React developers can find it.