Netlify CMS is a Content Management System for static sites, allowing collaborators to create, edit, review, and publish content without writing code or dealing with version control. It brings the ease of WordPress-style editing to the simplicity and speed of static sites.
At its core, Netlify CMS is an open-source React app that acts as a wrapper for the Git workflow, using the GitHub API. This provides many advantages, including:
The admin interface is a single-page app with the entry point stored in a static `/admin` folder you add to the root of your site. You can include it with a simple `index.html` file that loads the necessary CSS and JS files from a CDN:
Because Netlify CMS is a wrapper for the GitHub API, the "backend" is a repo stored on GitHub. *(Using a different Git host? File a [feature request](https://github.com/netlify/netlify-cms/issues), or [help us add it](https://github.com/netlify/netlify-cms/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md)!)* For authentication, you can connect to GitHub using Netlify’s [Authentication Provider feature](https://www.netlify.com/docs/authentication-providers), or you can roll your own.
You point to where the files are stored, and specify the fields that define them. The `body` field typically stores the main text of a file, while any other fields are included at the top of the document in the front matter. They can be required, optional, or hidden, and can have preset defaults.
