Choosing a CMS shouldn’t feel like choosing between free and capable. Many “free” platforms become expensive through locked features, paid add-ons, hosting restrictions, or ecosystems that push you into complex plugin stacks.
Pivlu takes a different approach: it’s a free and open-source CMS built to give you modern content building tools from day one—without compromising ownership, flexibility, or extensibility.
This article explains what “free and open source” means in practice, how Pivlu’s block-based content works, and how you can model and organize content using custom types and taxonomies.
Free and open source: control without lock-in
Pivlu is free and open source, which means:
- No licensing fees to publish sites or create content
- Transparent code you can inspect, self-host, and extend
- No vendor lock-in: your content model and structure aren’t tied to a proprietary platform
- Community-driven evolution: improvements can come from real user needs, not just commercial roadmaps
For teams, open source also brings practical advantages: easier auditing, clearer upgrade paths, and the ability to adapt the CMS to your workflows—not the other way around.
Content built from block types (not fixed templates)
Modern websites are rarely just “a page with text.” They’re a collection of sections: hero banners, feature grids, videos, testimonials, maps, alerts, and more. Pivlu organizes content as blocks, so editors build pages by assembling structured components rather than fighting rigid templates.
Built-in block types in Pivlu
Pivlu supports a growing set of blocks that cover most marketing and documentation needs:
- Editor (rich text): headings, lists, formatting, embeds—ideal for long-form content
- Image: single images with captions and alt text
- Gallery: multiple images presented as a group
- Hero: top-of-page sections with headline, subtext, and call-to-action
- Cards: structured card grids for features, services, or listings
- Maps: location blocks for offices, events, or store finders
- Video: embed hosted video or display media in a consistent format
- Slider: rotating slides for highlights, testimonials, or product shots
- Alerts: banners for announcements, warnings, or success/info notes
- Blockquote: styled quotes for testimonials or cited content
- Links: curated link lists or resource sections
Advanced blocks for developers and power users
For teams that need more control, Pivlu also supports blocks designed for customization and integration:
- Include custom file: reuse shared content or sections without copy-pasting
- Custom code: add custom HTML/CSS/JS snippets where appropriate (with clear governance)
The result is a workflow where editors get speed and consistency, while developers keep structure, performance, and maintainability.
Custom content types: model your content, not just your pages
A CMS is most powerful when it reflects how your business actually works. Pivlu supports custom content types, so you can go beyond generic “pages” and “posts” and create structured content such as:
- Products
- Case studies
- Documentation pages
- Team members
- Events
- Locations
- Integrations
- Help articles
Each content type can have its own fields, relationships, and block composition—making it easier to maintain content at scale, reuse it across the site, and keep editing simple for non-technical users.
Categories, tags, and custom taxonomies
Content becomes harder to manage as it grows—unless you have strong organization tools. Pivlu supports classic and advanced content grouping through:
Categories
Use categories for broad, hierarchical grouping, such as:
- Blog → Product updates / Tutorials / Announcements
- Docs → Getting started / API / Guides
Categories are ideal when you want a clear structure users can browse.
Tags
Use tags for flexible labeling across different topics, such as:
- “performance”, “seo”, “multilingual”, “security”
- “beginner”, “advanced”, “release-notes”
Tags help with filtering, discovery, and internal search.
Custom taxonomies
Not all projects fit into just categories and tags. Pivlu supports custom taxonomies, letting you define the organizational logic that matches your domain, for example:
- Industry: SaaS, Healthcare, Retail
- Region: EU, US, Global
- Content status: Draft, Reviewed, Deprecated
- Difficulty level: Beginner, Intermediate, Expert
Custom taxonomies make it easier to build dynamic pages (like filtered listings), improve navigation, and keep large content libraries maintainable.
Summary
Pivlu is a free and open-source CMS built for modern content workflows:
- Free and open source, with full control and no lock-in
- Block-based content creation using rich, practical block types: editor (rich text), image, gallery, hero, cards, maps, video, slider, alerts, blockquote, links, include custom file, and custom code
- Powerful modeling through custom content types
- Scalable organization with categories, tags, and custom taxonomies
If you want a CMS that stays lightweight, extensible, and editor-friendly—without sacrificing structure—Pivlu is designed to be a solid foundation for content-driven websites.