BigTree CMS

BigTree CMS is a self‑hosted, PHP‑based content management system that emphasizes extensibility and developer control. At its core it exposes a classic LAMP stack architecture—PHP 8.x, MySQL / MariaDB, and a lightweight Apache/Nginx web server—while keeping the codebase modular enough to be dropped into existing projects or spun up as a standalone site. The system is GPL‑licensed, which encourages community contributions and makes it suitable for open‑source projects that require a permissive yet powerful CMS.

Technical Stack

• Language: PHP 8.x (full support for modern features such as typed properties, union types, and null‑safe operators).
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB; the schema is intentionally simple, using a table‑per‑module pattern with JSON columns for flexible field definitions.
• Web Server: Apache or Nginx; the routing layer is a custom front controller that maps URLs to PHP handlers.
• Frontend: Plain HTML/CSS/JS; no proprietary templating engine. Templates are PHP files that can include any server‑side logic, allowing developers to keep full control over rendering.

Core Capabilities

BigTree offers a robust set of APIs for module management, page routing, and media handling:

• Module API: BigTreeAutoModule classes provide CRUD operations, field definitions, and relationships (one‑to‑many, many‑to‑many).
• RESTful Endpoints: Optional JSON endpoints expose module data for headless or API‑first use cases.
• Event Hooks: Developers can attach callbacks to lifecycle events (onInsert, onUpdate, onDelete) for custom business logic.
• Site Integrity Checker: A built‑in tool that scans URLs, database integrity, and file references, exportable to CSV for audit purposes.

Architecture & Extensibility

The architecture is deliberately flat: each module corresponds to a PHP class that extends BigTreeAutoModule. This pattern makes it trivial to add new modules by creating a class file and defining the schema array. The system also supports:

• Plugin System: Plugins live in a plugins/ directory and are auto‑loaded. They can register new routes, modify the admin UI, or hook into existing events.
• Webhooks: Outgoing webhooks are configurable per module, enabling integration with CI/CD pipelines or third‑party services.
• Custom Templates: Since templates are plain PHP, developers can import any front‑end framework (React, Vue) or CSS library without friction.

Deployment & Infrastructure

BigTree is designed for traditional LAMP deployments but also works seamlessly in containerized environments:

• Docker Support: Official Docker images are available, with environment variables for database credentials and optional Nginx configuration.
• Scalability: The application is stateless aside from the database, making horizontal scaling straightforward. Caching layers (Redis or Memcached) can be added to accelerate view rendering.
• Backup & Migration: Built‑in database migration scripts allow versioned schema changes, and the CMS can be exported/imported via SQL dumps or JSON.

Developer Experience

• Configuration: A single config.php file centralizes database, site settings, and feature toggles. Advanced users can override defaults via environment variables.
• Documentation: The official docs cover module creation, API usage, and deployment guides. Community resources (forums, GitHub issues) provide real‑world examples.
• Community: The project maintains an active issue tracker and encourages pull requests. Licensing under LGPL allows commercial use while preserving open‑source contributions.

Use Cases

• Enterprise Intranets: Companies needing a lightweight CMS for internal portals can deploy BigTree behind corporate firewalls, leveraging its fine‑grained permission system.
• Headless CMS: The RESTful API and JSON export make it a candidate for headless architectures where the front end is built in Next.js or Angular.
• Rapid Prototyping: Because templates are plain PHP, developers can spin up a new site in minutes and iterate quickly without learning a templating language.

Advantages

• Performance: Minimal abstraction layers mean low latency and fast page loads, ideal for high‑traffic sites.
• Flexibility: Full PHP access and no proprietary markup give developers the freedom to integrate any library or custom logic.
• Licensing: LGPL allows commercial use without licensing fees, while still encouraging community contributions.

In summary, BigTree CMS offers a developer‑friendly, extensible platform that balances the familiarity of PHP with modern API and plugin patterns, making it a compelling choice for teams that require full control over their content infrastructure.