MODX

A PHP content management framework for sites where developers want full control over the markup, from personal blogs to multi-domain corporate sites.

1.4k stars, 532 forks PHP On GitHub since July 2010

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

MODX at a glance

Open sourceYes, GPL-2.0No paid parts in the repository
Health48 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingFrom sourceSteps in the README
Interface29 languagesIncluding English, German and French
Release rhythmNo releasesNone published on GitHub

What is MODX?

MODX Revolution is a PHP CMS that doubles as an application framework. It does not impose theme markup: you write the HTML and design yourself, and the system manages the content that fills it. The README positions it for anything from personal blogs to multilingual corporate sites spread across several domains, and even for serving mobile APIs. Its core is modular, so extensions add custom behavior. The manager interface ships with translation files for 29 languages, and the community translates them on Crowdin. The repository dates back to 2010, and the docs cover upgrading from the 2.x line to 3.0.

Good fit if

  • You run PHP hosting and want templates where every tag of the output is yours.
  • You manage several language versions or domains from one installation.

Look elsewhere if

  • You would rather pick themes and plugins from a large marketplace: WordPress.
  • Your team writes Python and prefers page models defined in code: Wagtail.
  • Your developers already build on Laravel and want a CMS on top of it: WinterCMS.

Before you adopt it

MODX is licensed under the GPL, version 2 or any later version, and the repository holds no paid parts. Patches to MODX require a signed contributor license agreement (CLA). MODX, LLC holds the copyright, and six people committed in the last 90 days. GitHub has no tagged releases; you download packages from the project site or install from Git. There is no Docker setup in the repository, so you set up the PHP environment yourself following the requirements page.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 7 November 2026. Report a correction

How to run MODX yourself

Docker
No Docker files in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
29 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish
Show all 29

Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Yoruba

Install instructions: modx.com or the README on GitHub.

MODX health: is it still maintained?

48 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmNo releasesNone published on GitHub
Issue repliesNot measuredToo few recent issues from outside the team
Bus factorLow riskThe most active of 6 authors wrote 38% of recent commits
  • Activity
    16 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 28 October 2026.
    15 / 30
  • Contributors
    6 people wrote the 16 commits of the last 90 days; the most active wrote 38% of them.
    11 / 20
  • Releases
    No releases published on GitHub.
    6 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Too few recent issues from outside the team to measure, so this part gets a neutral score.
    10 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 5.8 of 10.
    6 / 10

Read from GitHub on 7 November 2026. How the score works

MODX security practices

OpenSSF Scorecard checks how a project is developed and released: reviews, protected branches, pinned dependencies, signed releases. It does not audit the code itself.

OpenSSF Scorecard5.8 of 10How the project is built and released
Security policyYesExplains how to report a vulnerability

What each check found

  • Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
  • Dangerous workflows10 / 10No risky patterns in GitHub Actions
  • License file10 / 10A license file is present
  • Maintained10 / 10Steady commits and issue activity in the last 90 days
  • Security policy10 / 10Explains how to report a vulnerability
  • Code review8 / 10Some changes are merged without review
  • Branch protection5 / 10Rules on the main branch are partly enforced
  • Best-practices badge0 / 10No OpenSSF Best Practices badge
  • Fuzzing0 / 10No fuzz testing found
  • Pinned dependencies0 / 10Dependencies are not pinned to fixed versions
  • Static analysis0 / 10No static analysis found
  • Token permissions0 / 10CI tokens have broad write rights

From the OpenSSF Scorecard of 2 November 2026. Checks that do not apply to MODX are left out.

MODX license: is it open source?

MODX uses GPL-2.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI. Contributors sign a contributor license agreement, which lets the owner relicense their work later.

  1. July 2010First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayGPL-2.0. A contributor license agreement is required.

MODX for developers

Written in

  • PHP 77%
  • JavaScript 16%
  • CSS 5%
  • SCSS 1%
  • Smarty <1%
  • Other <1%

Getting involved

Contributing guideYesCONTRIBUTING.mdOpen issues612On GitHub
Authors, 90 days6Of 16 commits
DonationsOpen CollectiveListed on GitHub

Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.

Alternatives to MODX

  • JoomlaHome of the Joomla! Content Management System 87 health · GPL-2.0 · 5.2k stars
  • CraftCMSBuild bespoke content experiences with Craft. 83 health · Unidentified license · 3.6k stars
  • octoberSelf-hosted CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. 75 health · Unidentified license · 11.2k stars
  • ApostropheA full-featured, open-source content management framework built with Node.js that empowers organizations by… 71 health · Unidentified license · 4.7k stars
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All 13 projects in Websites & CMS

Questions about MODX

Is MODX open source?

Yes. MODX is published under GPL-2.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is MODX still maintained?

Its health score is 48 of 100 (actively developed). It had 16 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 28 October 2026.

How do I run MODX?

The repository has no Docker files or app builds, so you build it from source. The README on GitHub has the steps.

What is MODX written in?

MODX is written mainly in PHP (77% of the code), with JavaScript (16%) and CSS (5%), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What languages is MODX available in?

The repository has interface translations for 29 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish and Russian.

What are the alternatives to MODX?

Close alternatives in the Websites & CMS category include Joomla, CraftCMS, october.