Keystone vs PublicCMS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Keystone
Headless CMS framework with a powerful GraphQL API
VS
PublicCMS
High-performance Java content management system
| Feature | Keystone | PublicCMS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,938 | ★ 2,085 |
| First released | 2013 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Contentful, Strapi | WordPress |
Why pick each one
Choose PublicCMS if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Keystone or PublicCMS better?
Keystone is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider PublicCMS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Keystone and PublicCMS free and open-source?
Yes. Keystone is licensed under MIT and PublicCMS under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Keystone and PublicCMS with Docker?
Keystone: yes. PublicCMS: check the project docs for container support.