Plug-In vs Starter

Both paths use the same free, MIT-licensed @caretcms/core package. Pick whichever matches where you are today.

The repo also contains a fuller reference app in src/. That app is useful for exploring the broader product vision, but most adopters should think first in terms of Plug-In mode vs Starter mode.

At a glance

Plug-In mode

For existing Astro repos. Add the integration, annotate elements, expand from there.

Starter mode

For greenfield projects. Clone a baseline, customize the template, add collections.

Plug-In mode Existing projects

Choose this when:

• You already run an Astro repo
• You want CMS features without rewriting your app
• You need gradual rollout by route or feature

Fastest path: npx @caretcms/caretize init then npx @caretcms/caretize to wire CaretCMS and tag existing markup. See Caretize CLI.

Benefits:

• Keeps your architecture and components
• Adds admin/API routes through one integration
• Works with existing deployment pipeline
• Lets you roll CMS features out page by page instead of committing to a rewrite
• Optionally wire into Astro live content collections with caretLoader in src/caret.config.ts (stable on Astro 6, experimental on Astro 5.10+)

astro.config.mjs

import { defineConfig } from 'astro/config';
import caret from '@caretcms/core';

// Static site (recommended for marketing / brochure):
export default defineConfig({
  integrations: [caret({ delivery: 'static' })],
});

// Server delivery — edits visible to visitors immediately:
export default defineConfig({
  output: 'server',
  integrations: [caret()],
});

Starter mode Greenfield

Choose this when:

• You are launching a new site
• You want the fastest path to a working CMS surface
• You are okay starting from opinionated defaults

examples/starter

Minimal CMS-ready landing page. The smallest possible implementation to copy from.

git clone https://github.com/web-stacked/caretcms
cd caretcms && npm install
npm run dev:starter

examples/content-site

Content-first or editorial site. Demonstrates shared site content plus page-level content with scoped bindings.

git clone https://github.com/web-stacked/caretcms
cd caretcms && npm install
npm run dev:content

Practical recommendation

You are…	Path
Adding CMS to an existing Astro app	Plug-In — annotate a few elements, expand from there
Launching a new project	Starter — clone, customize, add more collections as needed

Next steps

Caretize CLI init + auto-tag for existing repos.

Quickstart The Plug-In path step by step.

Use Cases Where CaretCMS fits.