Introduction
ZephyrPHP is an open-source, GUI-first CMS platform for building modern websites. Visual page builder, theme customizer, content collections, and a powerful admin panel — all without writing code.
What is ZephyrPHP?
ZephyrPHP is a complete content management system built on PHP 8.2+ that lets you build and manage websites entirely through a visual admin panel. No command line needed after the initial install.
It combines the flexibility of a PHP framework with the ease of a visual CMS. Create any type of content — blog posts, products, portfolios, events — with custom fields, workflows, and permissions. Design your pages with a drag-and-drop section builder and customize your theme with a live preview editor.
ZephyrPHP follows a GUI-first approach. Everything that can be done visually, should be. The admin panel handles content, design, settings, users, analytics, and more — all without touching code.
Key Features
- Visual Page Builder — Drag-and-drop sections with live preview. 18+ built-in section types.
- Theme Customizer — Edit fonts, colors, typography, and custom CSS with live preview.
- Content Collections — Create any content type with custom fields, relations, slugs, SEO, and workflows.
- AI Content Tools — Generate pages and content with AI. Supports Gemini, Claude, OpenAI, Groq, Mistral, and more.
- Plugin System — Action and filter hooks for deep customization. Install plugins from ZIP or URL.
- Media Library — Upload, organize, and manage images and files with auto-thumbnails.
- Users & Roles — Granular role-based permissions. Admin, Editor, Viewer, or create your own.
- Workflows — Visual workflow builder: Draft → Review → Approved → Published.
- Built-in Analytics — Privacy-safe page views, visitors, referrers, and device tracking.
- Marketplace — Browse and install themes, plugins, and sections from the admin panel.
- Multi-language — Translation manager with bulk import/export and completion tracking.
- Security First — OWASP Top 10 hardened. CSRF, CSP, parameterized queries, input sanitization.
- Setup Wizard — GUI-based setup: database, admin account, and APP_KEY — all handled automatically.
Requirements
| Requirement | Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PHP | 8.2 or higher | With PDO, mbstring, openssl, json extensions |
| Composer | 2.0 or higher | For initial installation only |
| Database | MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB / PostgreSQL / SQLite | Configured via setup wizard |
How It Works
- Install —
composer create-project zephyrphp/starter mysite && cd mysite && php craftsman serve - Setup Wizard — Open your browser, the wizard handles database, admin account, and security key
- Build — Use the visual admin panel to create content, design pages, and manage your site
Architecture
ZephyrPHP is built from modular packages that work together:
- Framework — Core MVC: routing, controllers, views (Twig), session, security, DI container
- Database — Doctrine ORM integration with models, query builder, and migrations
- Auth — Session and JWT authentication with user providers
- Authorization — Role-based access control with gates and policies
- Cache — Multi-driver caching (File, Redis, APCu, Array)
- CMS — The full admin panel, page builder, collections, themes, media, and more
The starter project comes with all modules pre-installed. Everything is managed through the CMS admin panel at /cms.
Self-Host or Cloud
- zephyrphp.com — Open source, self-hosted. Full code access, MIT licensed.
- cloud.zephyrphp.com — Managed hosting with automatic updates, backups, and scaling. Coming soon.
Getting Help
- Installation Guide — Get up and running in minutes
- GitHub Repository — Report issues and contribute
- GitHub Discussions — Ask questions and share ideas
Head over to the Installation Guide to create your first ZephyrPHP site in under 5 minutes!