Weave Code
Evolution Laravel Package
evolution-cms/evolution
Evolution CMS is an open source content management system and application framework built on PHP. It offers fast, lightweight site building with user groups, document management, snippets, and chunks for dynamic websites.
Evolution CMS is an open-source Content Management System and application framework built on PHP 8.3+. Originally inspired by Etomite and developed as MODX Evolution, it is now maintained by the Evolution CMS Project under the GPL license, offering a fast, lightweight and powerful platform for websites and web applications.
- Separate web user and group system, independent of administration accounts
- Granular page-level access control for registered users
- Duplicate documents, folders (with all children), chunks and snippets
- Single-click installer via the Evolution CMS Installer
- Rich, dynamic content management for modern sites
Frequently asked questions about Evolution
- Can I install Evolution CMS as a Composer package inside my existing Laravel application?
- No. Evolution CMS is a full application framework that owns the HTTP kernel, routing, sessions, admin panel, and rendering pipeline, so it is a platform adoption decision rather than a dependency decision. You either make Evolution the platform for the site or you write modules and plugins inside its process model. The package has zero Packagist dependents, which confirms that composing it into another Laravel codebase is off the beaten path and effectively unsupported.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does Evolution CMS 3.5 require?
- Evolution CMS 3.5 is built on Laravel 12 components and requires PHP 8.3 or newer. The backend has been built on Laravel components since version 2.0, so service providers, middleware, and the database layer will look familiar to a Laravel team. Plan add-on compatibility checks against both Laravel 12 and PHP 8.4.
- How do I install Evolution CMS, and is there a CLI installer?
- There are two documented paths: a single-click web installer, which also supports SQLite, and a CLI installer with a preset install command for repeatable deployments. Most users install the distribution rather than pulling it in as a Composer dependency. There is also an extras and add-on ecosystem you install after the base site is up.
- Does Evolution CMS provide a headless REST or GraphQL API?
- There is no documented first-class REST or GraphQL headless mode and no supported headless CMS embedded-in-my-app path in the README. If you need API-first delivery for a SPA, mobile app, or partner integrations, this is likely the wrong platform. Treat Evolution as a rendering CMS and application framework rather than a content backend for other front ends.
- Is the GPL-3.0 license a problem for client projects or commercial products?
- GPL-3.0 is the dominant risk here, not the code quality. Any distribution of a derivative work, including shipping a modified CMS to a client or conveying a bundled appliance or container image, triggers copyleft obligations, while SaaS without distribution is generally fine. Get legal sign-off before any product packaging, OEM, or on-prem delivery, because this is often a go/no-go item in commercial contexts.
- How do I add custom functionality with modules, chunks, and snippets in Evolution CMS?
- Content modeling uses documents, chunks, and snippets, while heavier custom features are built as modules in the manager and admin layer. Front-end registered web users and groups are separate from administration users, and access is controlled through resource-group ACLs. File and image manager callbacks are another common integration point for custom behavior.
- What breaks when upgrading from MODX Evolution or older Evolution CMS releases?
- Version 3.5.4 marked $modx as deprecated, and 3.5.5 finalized the MODX_* to EVO_* compatibility transition and prepared legacy constants for removal, so snippets and plugins written against the old globals will break on a future release. Recent patch releases also included permission remapping and migration guards during updates, which shows the upgrade path is still being hardened. Budget for a compatibility audit of every third-party add-on you rely on.
- Is Evolution CMS actively maintained, and are add-ons like sCommerce still updated?
- Development is active, with frequent patch releases from 3.5.1 through 3.5.6, but the bus factor is a real concern. Core commits cluster around a small set of maintainers, and headline ecosystem modules such as sCommerce, sSeo, sLang, sMultisite, sTask, and sGallery are authored largely by one person, on a project with roughly 255 stars and no Composer dependents. Verify each load-bearing add-on against Laravel 12, PHP 8.4, and the EVO_* constant migration before committing.
- What support options exist for Evolution CMS, and is there paid support?
- Support is community-only through Telegram and the forums, plus documentation hosted at docs.evo.im and in a separate GitHub docs repository. There is no documented paid support contract or API reference included in the package surface. For a revenue-bearing property, community-only support is a material risk to weigh against the zero licence cost.
- What are the alternatives if my team needs a Composer-installable CMS inside Laravel?
- If you need a CMS you can composer require into an existing Laravel app, headless API-first delivery, or a permissive licence, Evolution CMS is unlikely to fit and you should evaluate alternatives built as packages or as API-first content services. Evolution is strongest when a team adopts it as the platform, is comfortable with GPL-3.0, and accepts the add-on ecosystem as part of the stack. The README also points to a separate installer and add-on ecosystem rather than a library integration path.
Weaver
How can I help you explore Laravel packages today?