Bolt vs Cockpit Next
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Bolt | Cockpit Next |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 81 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source, docker | bare-metal, source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 590 | ★ 747 |
| First released | 2012 | 2021 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Contentful | Contentful, Strapi |
What are Bolt and Cockpit Next?
Bolt
Bolt is an open-source content management tool built on the Symfony framework that strives to be straightforward for editors and flexible for developers. Content types are defined in YAML and rendered with Twig templates.
- YAML content types
- Twig templating
- Symfony foundation
- Clean editor UI
Cockpit Next
Cockpit Next is the rewritten generation of the Cockpit headless CMS, providing a content API, structured content management, and asset handling without dictating a presentation layer. It is designed to serve content to websites, apps, and other services.
- Headless content API
- Structured content models
- Asset manager
- Lightweight footprint
Bolt vs Cockpit Next: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Cockpit Next is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Bolt. Bolt is the more established project (first released 2012), while Cockpit Next arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Bolt if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Cockpit Next if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Bolt or Cockpit Next better?
Neither is universally better. Cockpit Next has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Bolt and Cockpit Next free and open-source?
Yes. Bolt is licensed under MIT and Cockpit Next under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bolt and Cockpit Next with Docker?
Bolt: yes. Cockpit Next: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Bolt or Cockpit Next?
Cockpit Next has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Bolt. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.