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A fast, flexible, file-based CMS for building websites your way.
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Markdown & HTML
Write Markdown or HTML in your favourite text editor. Your content stays readable, portable, and yours.
β‘
Instant feedback
No manual build steps, no deploy queues. Edit a file and see changes immediately with auto-indexing.
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Design freedom
Build your way with whatever HTML, CSS and JavaScript you like. No heavy frameworks to fight here.
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Model anything
Complete control. Define projects, events, recipes, products and more with custom content types.
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Dynamic features
Get the speed of a static site with the power of PHP. Search, sort and filter out of the box.
π οΈ
Dev-friendly
Extend with plugins, shortcodes, hooks, and a robust CLI. β¦
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+
+
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A fast, flexible, file-based CMS for building websites your way.
π
Markdown & HTML
Write Markdown or HTML in your favourite text editor. Your content stays readable, portable, and yours.
β‘
Instant feedback
No manual build steps, no deploy queues. Edit a file and see changes immediately with auto-indexing.
π¨
Design freedom
Build your way with whatever HTML, CSS and JavaScript you like. No heavy frameworks to fight here.
π§©
Model anything
Complete control. Define projects, events, recipes, products and more with custom content types.
π
Dynamic features
Get the speed of a static site with the power of PHP. Search, sort and filter out of the box.
π οΈ
Dev-friendly
Extend with plugins, shortcodes, hooks, and a robust CLI. Use the tools you already know and love.
π
Scale seamlessly
Seamlessly switch to tailored high-performance backend if your site grows massive.
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Blazing fast
Dual cache layers and optimized code paths out of the box ensures your site loads in the blink of an eye.
Requires PHP 8.3+ | GPLv3 license
---
title: Hello World
date: 2026-01-15
tags: [web, cms]
summary: Launch notes and quick tips
meta_title: Hello World | Ava CMS
meta_description: Launch notes and quick tips for getting started with Ava CMS.
featured: true
hero_image: /media/hero.webp
---
# Getting Started
Write in Markdown and sprinkle in <strong>HTML</strong> when you need it.
[highlight color="#ffeeba"]
Tip: Custom fields are validated by the linter.
[/highlight]
- Easy to edit
- Version control ready
- No database needed

Publish in Markdown or HTML
Write content in Markdown or HTML using any editor youβre comfortable with, or the optional admin when itβs convenient. Everything is stored as readable files you can open, version, and move around freely.
Frontmatter keeps metadata clear and predictable, while custom fields add structure and validation where you want it. SEO features are baked in with frontmatter metadata, schema and OpenGraph features β to control search snippets and social previews. Shortcodes help you reuse common patterns without cluttering your content.
app/
βββ content/
βββ themes/
βββ starter/
βββ theme.php
βββ templates/
β βββ home.php
β βββ page.php
β βββ post.php
β βββ archive.php
β βββ partials/
β βββ head.php
β βββ header.php
β βββ footer.php
βββ assets/
βββ css/
βββ js/

Easy theming
Ava doesnβt introduce a new templating mindset to learn. Themes use a simple, familiar hierarchy, with layouts built from partials and plain PHP templates.
You write your own HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, just as you would on any bespoke site. Behaviour can be extended with hooks and plugins, without pulling in a framework or fighting opinions you didnβt choose.
βββ ββ ββ βββ ββββ ββ ββ ββββ
βββββ βββββ βββββ βββββ βββββββ βββββ
βββββ βββ βββββ βββββ ββ ββ βββββ v1.0.0
βββ Usage βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
./ava <command> [options]
βββ Site Management βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
status Show site health and overview
rebuild Rebuild the content index
lint Validate all content files
βββ Content βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
make <type> "Title" Create new content
prefix <add|remove> [type] Toggle date prefixes
βββ Webpage Cache βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
cache:stats (or cache) View cache statistics
cache:clear [pattern] Clear cached webpages
βββ Examples ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ
./ava status
./ava make post "Hello World"
./ava lint

Your site, your way
Use the admin for quick edits, previews, media uploads, and system diagnostics β or manage everything directly through folders and configuration files. Ava stays out of the way either way.
If you prefer the terminal, the CLI handles content creation, linting, indexing, and cache management in seconds, making it easy to keep things tidy and fast as your site grows.