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Another CMS? Meet RovoCMS

Another CMS? Meet RovoCMS

The last thing the world probably needs is another CMS. We’ve got WordPress, Ghost, Statamic, Hugo, Jekyll, Astro, etc. Heck, even AI tools are spitting out full websites now. So why would anyone build a new one?

Because sometimes you just want to see if you still can. And maybe prove that a CMS doesn’t have to be a bloated mess of plugins, frameworks, and build pipelines.

That’s how RovoCMS was born.

The Problem With Modern CMS and Site Builders

I’ve built sites every way imaginable. Hand written HTML and CSS. Gulp pipelines. Jekyll, Hugo, Statamic, Astro. And yes, plenty of WordPress installs.

For years WordPress was my go-to for client projects. It solved a lot of problems and made content editing easier. But it was never as fast as a static site builder during development. And no matter what, the same issue always came back around: clients inevitably break the design.

They install a plugin, tweak a block, or paste in something that doesn’t belong. Pretty soon the clean, hand-crafted layout is buried under banners, logos, badges, and popups. The ROI drops. The site looks cheap. Everyone is frustrated.

Some might call that job security, because there is always another “fix it” project waiting. But it is not good for your sanity. And it is definitely not good for your client’s bottom line.

That is exactly the problem my idea with RovoCMS was built to solve. A way to keep the design intact, let the client edit content safely, and still keep the speed and simplicity of static site development.

The Idea Behind RovoCMS

The concept for RovoCMS sat in my head for years. The idea was simple:

  • Developers write clean HTML and CSS.
  • Clients get inline, front-facing editing.
  • The design stays safe. The content stays editable.

No build steps. No webpack. No NPM dependency hell. Just vanilla JavaScript, a few hundred lines of code, and a simple SQLite database under the hood.

All you do is drop a $placeholder$ in your HTML, and it becomes editable. Same for images. That’s it.

It’s deliberately minimalist because complexity isn’t a badge of honor.

Key Features

  • Lightweight CMS, heavyweight results – under 400 lines of elegant vanilla JS.
  • Fast, minimal, unbreakable – no build steps, no dependencies, no headaches.
  • Zero Build Philosophy – write HTML, mark editable regions with $placeholder$, deploy.
  • Front-Facing Editing – type "rovocms" on any page to edit inline.
  • Draft/Publish Workflow – save drafts, preview, then publish.
  • Multi-Page Support – organize pages without clutter.
  • SEO-Friendly SSR Hydration – static rendering with dynamic updates.
  • SQLite Storage – portable, simple, no devops required.

Philosophy

RovoCMS is built around a few simple ideas:

  1. Zero Configuration – it should just work.
  2. Progressive Enhancement – start simple, stay simple.
  3. Developer Freedom – your HTML, your way.
  4. Client Safety – they can’t break what they can’t touch.

This isn’t about competing with enterprise CMS platforms. It’s about reclaiming the joy of simple, unbreakable site delivery.

Why This Matters in 2025

Modern frameworks are piling abstraction on top of abstraction. React, Astro, Hugo, etc. They’re powerful, but they’re also complex. Sometimes you don’t need all that just to ship a simple website.

RovoCMS is my small experiment in the opposite direction: minimalism, vanilla JavaScript, and open-source pragmatism.

It’s proof that you can still build something fast, safe, and easy—without dragging in half the NPM registry.

Who It’s For

  • Agencies – ship prototypes in hours, not days.
  • Developers – protect your design while handing off editable content.
  • Clients – update text and images safely without breaking layouts.
  • Anyone who misses when the web was simpler.

Closing Thoughts

The web doesn’t need another CMS. But it might need a reminder: sometimes less is more.

RovoCMS is my way of proving that vanilla JavaScript and simplicity still matter. And honestly, to remind myself that I can still sit down, write some code, and make something real.

Right now RovoCMS is an alpha release, a proof of concept to test an idea I’ve carried for years. It already works well for simple sites, and I may develop it further if there’s interest. For now, it stands as a small experiment in open-source minimalism and a reminder that the best tools don’t always have to be the most complicated.

If you want you can check out the github repo here: https://github.com/1337hero/rovocms