Wagtail

A Django-based content management system that gives editors a fast interface and developers full control over a site's design and structure.

20.6k stars, 4.7k forks Python On GitHub since February 2014

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is Wagtail?

Wagtail is a content management system built on Django, the Python web framework. Developers define page types and templates in code, and editors fill them through a fast admin interface; its StreamField lets authors combine text, images and other blocks without breaking the page structure. It supports several sites and languages from one installation, has built-in search on PostgreSQL or Elasticsearch, and offers a content API for headless sites with a separate front end. NASA, the NHS, Mozilla and UK government sites use it, and the admin is translated into 50 languages.

Good fit if

  • Your team writes Python and wants a CMS that fits into a Django project.
  • You publish structured content at scale, with many editors or several sites.

Look elsewhere if

  • Your developers work in .NET: Umbraco.
  • You want to build a site from ready-made extensions and templates without writing code: Joomla.

Before you adopt it

Wagtail is BSD-3-Clause, with no paid parts in the repository, and commercial support is available from agencies. It is a framework rather than a finished site builder, so expect a developer to set up the models and templates. Seven people committed in the last 90 days, under a project with a long release history since 2014.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 31 October 2026. Report a correction

Wagtail health: is it still maintained?

87 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    519 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 30 October 2026.
    30 / 30
  • Contributors
    9 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 49% of them.
    13 / 20
  • Releases
    12 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v8.0.1, on 20 October 2026.
    18 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 84% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 9 hours.
    19 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 6.9 of 10.
    7 / 10

Read from GitHub on 1 November 2026. How the score works

Wagtail license: is it open source?

Wagtail uses BSD-3-Clause, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. February 2014First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayBSD-3-Clause.

How to run Wagtail yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file 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
50 languages

Install instructions: wagtail.org or the README on GitHub.

Alternatives to Wagtail

  • UmbracoUmbraco is a free and open source .NET content management system helping you deliver delightful digital… 91 health · MIT · 5.3k stars
  • JoomlaHome of the Joomla! Content Management System 86 health · GPL-2.0 · 5.2k stars

All 3 projects in Websites & CMS

Questions about Wagtail

Is Wagtail open source?

Yes. Wagtail is published under BSD-3-Clause, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is Wagtail still maintained?

Its health score is 87 of 100 (actively developed). It had 519 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 30 October 2026, and its latest release came out on 20 October 2026.

How do I run Wagtail?

You can run it with Docker. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What are the alternatives to Wagtail?

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