instatic
Open SourceSelf-hosted CMS: design visually, publish static HTML
AI Summary
Instatic is a self-hosted, MIT-licensed CMS that combines visual design, content management, and static HTML publishing in a single Bun server. It renders pages as finished HTML files on your own infrastructure, with no external dependencies or monthly subscriptions. The tool is aimed at developers and technically experienced teams who want full control over their website infrastructure.
✓ Pros
- +Fully self-hosted and MIT-licensed – no vendor lock-in, no risk of service discontinuation
- +All-in-one: editor, CMS, forms, media, auth, and publisher in a single process
- +Sandboxed plugin system via QuickJS-WASM prevents unauthorized access to the filesystem
✗ Cons
- −No built-in visitor analytics – listed on the roadmap but not yet available
- −Requires your own server infrastructure and technical expertise for setup and operation
Use Cases
- →Self-host and manage your own website or blog without any SaaS dependency
- →Design and publish static HTML pages visually using the canvas editor
- →Control the CMS via an MCP server with AI tools such as Claude Code or Cursor
- →Manage forms, media, and content entirely on your own infrastructure
Who is it for?
Ideal for developers and technically experienced teams looking for a self-hosted, controllable CMS with no external dependencies.
Tags
What is instatic?
Instatic is a self-hosted CMS that runs on a single Bun server, combining visual design, content management, and static HTML publishing under one roof. Rather than rendering ready-made pages on a CDN or routing requests through a headless API layer, instatic generates complete HTML files directly on your own infrastructure. The software is MIT-licensed and requires no subscriptions or external services.
The canvas editor lets you design pages visually and publish the result as static HTML. Forms, media, and authentication all run within the same process. If you want to control the CMS via AI tooling, you can use the built-in MCP server, which connects to tools like Claude Code or Cursor.
Core features
- Canvas editor: Design pages visually, with output as finished HTML and no build pipeline required
- All-in-one process: Editor, CMS, forms, media management, auth, and publisher all run in a single Bun server
- MCP server integration: Control the CMS via AI tools such as Claude Code or Cursor
- Sandboxed plugin system: Plugins are executed in isolation via QuickJS-WASM, without access to the host filesystem
- No external dependencies: No vendor, no SaaS, no monthly contract
Who is instatic for?
Instatic is aimed at developers and technically experienced teams who want to run a website or blog entirely on their own infrastructure. The target audience has clear expectations about where their data lives and which third-party services they use.
Anyone who has never set up their own server will likely run into difficulties during setup. Instatic requires you to provision and maintain a runtime environment with Bun yourself. There is no built-in traffic analytics. According to the roadmap, this feature is planned but not yet available.
Context & alternatives
Instatic sits in the space of self-hosted CMS solutions for static websites. The closest conceptual comparisons are systems like Ghost (self-hosted) or ClassicPress, which also rely on self-hosted infrastructure but deliver dynamic pages. Purely static generators like Hugo or Eleventy forgo an integrated CMS and require a separate content layer.
What sets instatic apart from these approaches is the combination of a visual editor and static output in a single process with no external services. If this middle ground is exactly what you are looking for and you are willing to manage the server infrastructure yourself, instatic offers a setup with no moving parts.
