Manablox

Changelog

What is new in Manablox.

Every release in plain words: what got better and what was fixed. The technical details for each version are in the documentation.

Version 0.50.0

Latest

Manablox is a headless CMS: you write and organise your content in a web admin, and your website or app fetches it over an API. It is free and open source (MIT), and it runs on your own server or with a hosting provider.

Getting started

  • One command to a new projectmanablox create asks a few questions and writes a complete project that runs right away, with Docker or on your own machine, and optional HTTPS through Caddy.
  • Pick your featuresChoose workflows, webhooks, AI or the website designer when you create a project, and add or remove them later with manablox plugin install and manablox plugin uninstall.
  • A head start for new spacesA new space can start from a template (business, landing page, portfolio, blog) or completely empty.
  • A starter websitemanablox frontend writes a small website in Astro, React or Vue, or without a framework, that already shows your pages and supports live preview.
  • Handy commandsCreate accounts and spaces, update the database and back up an SQLite database, all from the terminal.

Building your content model

  • Content typesDescribe what your content looks like, like a blog post with a title, a picture and a text. Build types by clicking in the admin or write them in code.
  • Fifteen field typesText, rich text, numbers, yes/no, dates, choices, links, images and files, references to other content or users, blocks, repeating groups and more.
  • Blocks and layoutsBuild pages from reusable blocks and arrange them in a grid, with separate layouts for desktop, tablet and phone.
  • TemplatesSave a set of blocks once and reuse it on many pages.
  • Automatic listsA field can fill itself, for example with "the three newest blog posts".
  • Pages in a treeOrganise pages in folders. Their web addresses follow from the tree, and one page is the home page.
  • DatabagsSimple lists outside the page tree, for things like contact form entries or team members.

Writing and publishing

  • Drafts and publishingSaving keeps a draft. Your website only changes when you press Publish.
  • Scheduled publishingSet a date and time for a page to go live or to be taken down.
  • Version historyEvery save is kept, and you can go back to any earlier version.
  • ApprovalsAuthors can ask for a review. A reviewer publishes the page or sends it back with a note.
  • No lost workIf a colleague saved the same page in the meantime, Manablox tells you instead of silently overwriting their changes.
  • Several languagesTranslate your content per language, and choose which fields are translated and which stay the same everywhere.
  • Live previewSee your changes on the real website while you type.

Images and files

  • Media libraryUpload images and files, give them names and alt texts, and tag them.
  • Image editingCrop, rotate, mirror, set a focal point and adjust colours. The original file stays untouched.
  • Right sizes automaticallyManablox makes smaller versions of your images when they are needed and keeps them for next time.
  • StorageKeep files on the server's disk or in S3-compatible cloud storage.

Getting content to your website

  • REST and GraphQLTwo ways for your website to read content. Both show only published content.
  • SDK for JavaScript@manablox/public-sdk reads pages, menus, lists and images for you, and can create TypeScript types from your content model.
  • Nuxt module@manablox/nuxt connects a Nuxt website in a few lines, live preview included.
  • Fast answersAnswers are cached, and publishing refreshes exactly the pages that changed.
  • One API for many spacesEvery space can have its own API address.
  • Menus, tags and redirectsEdit your site's menus in the admin, tag your content, and keep old links working: moving a page creates a redirect by itself.

Teams and security

  • InvitationsInvite people by email and give them a role: owner, admin, editor, author or viewer. You can also create your own roles.
  • Two-factor sign-inProtect accounts with a code from an authenticator app, with backup codes. You can make it required.
  • Single sign-onLet your team sign in with your company account over OpenID Connect or SAML.
  • API keysGive other programs access to chosen spaces only, and revoke a key at any time.
  • Activity logSee who changed what and when. The log is protected against tampering.
  • NotificationsGet told about approvals and other events in the admin, by email or as a browser notification.

Spaces, staging and backups

  • SpacesRun several websites or projects from one installation, each with its own content, languages and team.
  • StagingCopy a space, try out changes there, see what would change and move them over in one step.
  • SnapshotsBack up a space by hand or every day, and restore it next to the original or in its place.
  • Export and importMove a space, or parts of it, to another installation as a single file.

Automation

  • WorkflowsAutomate tasks on a drag-and-drop canvas: when a page is published, on a timetable or when another service calls in, Manablox can send emails, call other services, create content and more.
  • WebhooksTell other services when content changes, and see a log of every call.

The admin

  • A clear dashboardYour numbers, what waits for your approval, and your latest edits at a glance.
  • Keyboard shortcutsPress ? to see them all, for example / to search and Ctrl+S to save.
  • Light and darkPick your theme. The admin also works on small screens.

For hosting providers

  • Plans for your customersSwitch features on or off and set limits, like the number of spaces, users, documents or the storage size, for the whole installation or per customer.
  • Usage you can billAPI requests, bandwidth, workflow runs, emails and uploads are counted per space and month, with a warning when a limit is near.
  • Remote controlA control API lets your hosting panel or billing system manage installations, show messages in the admin, and make an installation read-only or pause it.

Running Manablox

  • Postgres or SQLiteStart small with SQLite and move to Postgres later with manablox migrate-db, history included.
  • Email your waySend email through SMTP, Gmail, Microsoft, Resend, SendGrid, Postmark or Mailgun.
  • LogsReadable logs while developing, JSON logs or a log service in production.
  • Safe database accessOn Postgres, Manablox can run with an account that is not allowed to change the tables or rewrite the activity log.

Extending Manablox

  • PluginsAdd your own field types, workflow steps, admin screens, database tables, permissions and commands. Workflows and webhooks are built as plugins too.
  • HooksRun your own code when something happens, for example before a page is published.
  • Testing helpersReady-made test databases, a test license and a mocked admin make plugin tests quick to write.
  • Reference docsmanablox docs generate writes the API, error and hook reference for your installation, plugins included.

Premium plugins

  • AI and the website designerTwo optional plugins, installed like any other. Try them for free on your own computer. A live website needs a subscription.