Why choose Blackcube?

Choosing a CMS is a long-term investment. Traditional CMSs accumulate technical debt: plugins that break, impossible-to-maintain customizations, redesigns that come back too often. Blackcube eliminates these hidden costs by letting your team code a custom application while the CMS only manages structured content. No dependency on a third-party plugin ecosystem, no redesign needed with each evolution of needs.

Blackcube is a CMS for developers who refuse to adapt their code to the rigid conventions imposed by most CMSs. Built on Yii2, it automatically injects content into your controllers. After this injection, the code is entirely yours. No dictated conventions, no imposed architecture, no technical workarounds that become ticking time bombs.

You're looking for a CMS that won't become a technical burden

Traditional CMSs are more accessible: recruiting a WordPress developer is easy, getting started with Drupal via the interface is quick, the plugin ecosystem is huge. But they accumulate technical debt: plugins that break with each update, customizations that become impossible to maintain, necessary redesigns that come back too often. Blackcube eliminates these hidden costs.

Cost of ownership

Free BSD license. No hidden costs for premium plugins. No redesign needed when needs evolve. Modifications are made in your code, not via hacks or workarounds that break with the next update.

Team autonomy

Your development team keeps control. No dependency on consultants specialized in a proprietary CMS. No expensive training on a complex ecosystem. Standard PHP MVC that your developers already master.

You refuse to adapt your code to a CMS's rigid conventions. You have a clear vision of your architecture.

Blackcube injects content via the controller. The rest of your architecture remains entirely under your control. No imposed convention, no dictated code structure.

Concrete example

A controller that displays a product: Blackcube provides the product content, you code the price calculation, recommendations, API integrations. Your business logic remains your code, in your services, with your architecture.

Custom architecture

Corporate site with complex business calculations, API integrations, specific workflows? Blackcube manages content, you code your business logic without constraints.

Native performance

Hazel Tree: mathematically optimized tree structure. Fast navigation without cache dependency. Tree queries are optimized by design, not by workaround.

Scalability

Modify a BlocType's JSON Schema, no SQL migration. Old content remains valid. Add fields, remove them, your existing content continues to work.

You don't have a developer: WordPress is a better choice.

You want to assemble plugins: WordPress with its ecosystem of thousands of extensions.

You want to configure everything via interface: Drupal or WordPress offer more admin options.

You're starting in development: Start with WordPress to learn CMS basics.

You have a development team

Blackcube requires PHP MVC developers. If you have an in-house technical team or work with a development agency, Blackcube gives them the tools to code cleanly without fighting the CMS.

Your project has specific business needs

Corporate site with complex calculations, multiple API integrations, custom workflows, elaborate business logic. Blackcube manages editorial content, your team codes business features without constraints.

You want to invest for the long term

No regular redesigns because the CMS has become unmanageable. Blackcube grows with your project. Add features progressively without breaking everything.

You refuse plugin dependency

Your site shouldn't necessarily depend on a third-party plugin ecosystem that can disappear, become paid or incompatible. With Blackcube, all your features are in your code. If you want to use third-party services, it's your choice, not an obligation.

Drupal: Learn our conventions, follow our patterns, respect our architecture.

WordPress: Add plugins, configure via interface, extend with hooks.

Blackcube: Here's the structured content. Code your application as you see fit.

Corporate site with business calculations

A B2B company with complex product catalog, dynamic price calculations according to client profile, ERP integrations. WordPress would have required dozens of incompatible plugins. Blackcube manages editorial content, the rest is standard business code.

Platform with specific workflows

Portal with multi-level validation, approval processes, multiple API integrations. Classic CMSs impose their workflows. With Blackcube, the workflow is custom-coded, the CMS just manages content to validate.

Business application with public interface

Complex internal system that exposes certain data via a public site. Blackcube manages the public part while your application keeps its architecture. No need to redesign everything to add a CMS.

Is Blackcube free?

Yes. BSD 3-clause license. No premium version, no paid plugins, no hidden costs. The code is yours, do what you want with it.

Do I need a specialized Blackcube developer?

No. A PHP MVC developer who can read documentation is enough. Blackcube adds concepts (Types, BlocTypes, Nodes) but doesn't impose complex patterns to learn. Yii2 is just one tool among others. The learning curve is fast.

Can I migrate from WordPress/Drupal?

Yes, but it's a technical migration, not a simple import. Content can be imported via the Blackcube API. The front-end must be recoded. Budget to plan, but investment that eliminates accumulated technical debt.

What happens if Blackcube disappears?

The code is open source (BSD), hosted on GitHub. Even if the project stops tomorrow, your code continues to work. No vendor lock-in, no dependency on a publisher company.