ApostropheCMS gives teams a structured process for moving content forward without affecting what is already live. Editors work safely in draft, preview and share changes, submit them for review, and publish immediately or at a scheduled time.
Editorial workflow support is included in the Community Edition. Teams with more advanced needs can extend it with Pro modules.
In Apostrophe, "Share Draft" generates a private preview link for any draft document. Anyone with the link can see the content exactly as it will appear when published without logging into ApostropheCMS. Send the link to legal for a compliance check, a client for sign-off, or a stakeholder who only needs to review the work.
In the core CMS workflow, contributors can create and edit drafts but cannot publish changes directly. Instead, they submit their work to editors or admins for review. Editors and admins can see how many submissions are pending, open and review the proposed content, make additional changes, and choose whether to keep it in draft or publish it. The Recently Edited Documents manager provides an audit log of changes across the workflow.
Every time a draft changes hands or a page or piece is published, ApostropheCMS saves a version of the document, recording who made the change and when. Editors can compare any two versions side by side, with changes highlighted field by field and inside rich text, and restore an earlier version in a single step. Restoring never erases anything: the restored content becomes the newest version, and the full history stays intact.
For teams that need more granular control, Advanced Permission lets admins define which groups can create, edit, submit, approve, and publish content on a per-type and per-document basis.
Developers can also add custom permissions connected to their own business logic, which admins can then assign to specific users and groups.
Keep content moving without losing oversight. Create a clear path from contribution to publication. Control who can publish, bring external stakeholders into the review process, and maintain a reliable record of published changes when your team needs it.
Know what is ready, what is live, and what happens next. Work safely in draft without changing the published site. Preview content as it will appear, submit it for review, and publish immediately or schedule it for later when you have the appropriate access.
Start with a working workflow—and extend it when needed. Draft states, submissions, publishing roles, Share Draft, and scheduling are already part of the open source core. Configure the experience around your content model, or use Advanced Permissions Pro to introduce more granular and custom controls.
Give contributors a safe place to work and editors a clear path from review to publication with accurate previews, intentional approvals, scheduled publishing, and safeguards for teams that need them.
Yes. Draft states, content submission, core role-based permissions, version history, and content state management are included in the open source, MIT-licensed core. Contributors can submit proposed changes, while editors and admins can review and publish them.
Yes. Share Draft generates a private preview link that anyone with the link can open in a browser. It shows the draft as it will appear when published without requiring a CMS account or changing the live page.
Yes. Scheduled publishing is included in Community Edition and all paid editions. Editors can select a date and time for content to be published automatically.
The open source core distinguishes between contributors, editors, and admins. With Advanced Permissions Pro, admins can control which groups can create, edit, submit, approve, and publish on a per-type and per-document basis.
For example, one group might be able to publish articles but only edit drafts of pages.
Yes, editors in ApostropheCMS can easily restore a previous version using our open source version history feature. To learn more, visit the Guide to version history.
Working on content and publishing content are separate actions. Draft changes do not affect the live site. Contributors must submit their changes for review, while editors and admins must take a deliberate action to publish them.
Advanced Permissions Pro provides more granular control over who can directly publish different content types or documents.
