Craft CMS

intermediate

Flexible content management with custom fields and matrix blocks.

Overview

Craft CMS is a flexible, developer-friendly content management system built on the Yii PHP framework, designed to give content creators and developers unprecedented control over digital experiences. Unlike rigid, template-based CMS platforms, Craft focuses on structured content with custom fields, matrix blocks for complex layouts, and element relationships that make content truly reusable across different contexts. This stack combines Craft CMS with PostgreSQL and Redis to create a robust, scalable content platform that can handle everything from simple blogs to complex multi-site enterprise deployments. This configuration leverages PostgreSQL's advanced JSON support and ACID compliance to store Craft's flexible content structures while maintaining data integrity across complex field relationships and matrix blocks. Redis provides high-performance session storage and caching, dramatically improving response times for content queries and reducing database load during traffic spikes. The combination allows Craft to scale beyond basic MySQL setups while providing enterprise-grade reliability. This stack is ideal for agencies managing multiple client sites, content-heavy applications requiring custom field architectures, and developers who need a CMS that adapts to their data model rather than forcing predetermined structures. The PostgreSQL foundation makes it particularly valuable for applications requiring complex content relationships, multi-language support, or integration with existing enterprise PostgreSQL infrastructure.

Key Features

Matrix fields with PostgreSQL JSON storage for complex, nested content blocks
Element relationship queries optimized by PostgreSQL's advanced indexing
Redis-powered session management for improved multi-user editing performance
Custom field types stored efficiently in PostgreSQL's flexible schema system
Content localization using PostgreSQL's full-text search capabilities
Redis caching for template rendering and database query optimization
Asset transformation pipeline with metadata stored in PostgreSQL
GraphQL API powered by PostgreSQL's JSON querying capabilities

Common Use Cases

1Multi-site agency platforms requiring shared content libraries and templates
2Enterprise content hubs with complex approval workflows and user permissions
3E-commerce sites needing flexible product catalogs with custom attributes
4News and publishing platforms with structured article relationships
5Portfolio websites requiring custom project categorization and filtering
6Corporate intranets with document management and employee directories
7Event management platforms with recurring schedules and venue relationships

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed with minimum 2GB RAM available
Composer installed locally for initial Craft project creation
Basic understanding of Craft CMS field types and templating with Twig
Environment variables configured: DB_PASSWORD and SECURITY_KEY
Port 8080 available for web access
PostgreSQL knowledge helpful for advanced content queries and optimization

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  craft: 
3    image: craftcms/cli:latest
4    container_name: craft
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    environment: 
7      CRAFT_DB_DRIVER: pgsql
8      CRAFT_DB_SERVER: postgres
9      CRAFT_DB_DATABASE: craft
10      CRAFT_DB_USER: craft
11      CRAFT_DB_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
12      CRAFT_SECURITY_KEY: ${SECURITY_KEY}
13    volumes: 
14      - ./craft:/app
15    ports: 
16      - "8080:8080"
17    depends_on: 
18      - postgres
19      - redis
20    networks: 
21      - craft-network
22
23  postgres: 
24    image: postgres:16-alpine
25    container_name: craft-postgres
26    environment: 
27      POSTGRES_USER: craft
28      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
29      POSTGRES_DB: craft
30    volumes: 
31      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
32    networks: 
33      - craft-network
34
35  redis: 
36    image: redis:alpine
37    container_name: craft-redis
38    networks: 
39      - craft-network
40
41volumes: 
42  postgres_data: 
43
44networks: 
45  craft-network: 
46    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1DB_PASSWORD=changeme
2SECURITY_KEY=your-security-key

Usage Notes

1Docs: https://craftcms.com/docs/
2Create project first: composer create-project craftcms/craft
3Access at http://localhost:8080, admin at /admin
4Matrix fields: nested, repeatable content blocks
5Element types: entries, categories, users, assets, globals
6Free Solo license; Pro adds GraphQL, multi-site features

Individual Services(3 services)

Copy individual services to mix and match with your existing compose files.

craft

craft:
  image: craftcms/cli:latest
  container_name: craft
  restart: unless-stopped
  environment:
    CRAFT_DB_DRIVER: pgsql
    CRAFT_DB_SERVER: postgres
    CRAFT_DB_DATABASE: craft
    CRAFT_DB_USER: craft
    CRAFT_DB_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
    CRAFT_SECURITY_KEY: ${SECURITY_KEY}
  volumes:
    - ./craft:/app
  ports:
    - "8080:8080"
  depends_on:
    - postgres
    - redis
  networks:
    - craft-network

postgres

postgres:
  image: postgres:16-alpine
  container_name: craft-postgres
  environment:
    POSTGRES_USER: craft
    POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
    POSTGRES_DB: craft
  volumes:
    - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
  networks:
    - craft-network

redis

redis:
  image: redis:alpine
  container_name: craft-redis
  networks:
    - craft-network

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  craft:
5    image: craftcms/cli:latest
6    container_name: craft
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    environment:
9      CRAFT_DB_DRIVER: pgsql
10      CRAFT_DB_SERVER: postgres
11      CRAFT_DB_DATABASE: craft
12      CRAFT_DB_USER: craft
13      CRAFT_DB_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
14      CRAFT_SECURITY_KEY: ${SECURITY_KEY}
15    volumes:
16      - ./craft:/app
17    ports:
18      - "8080:8080"
19    depends_on:
20      - postgres
21      - redis
22    networks:
23      - craft-network
24
25  postgres:
26    image: postgres:16-alpine
27    container_name: craft-postgres
28    environment:
29      POSTGRES_USER: craft
30      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
31      POSTGRES_DB: craft
32    volumes:
33      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
34    networks:
35      - craft-network
36
37  redis:
38    image: redis:alpine
39    container_name: craft-redis
40    networks:
41      - craft-network
42
43volumes:
44  postgres_data:
45
46networks:
47  craft-network:
48    driver: bridge
49EOF
50
51# 2. Create the .env file
52cat > .env << 'EOF'
53DB_PASSWORD=changeme
54SECURITY_KEY=your-security-key
55EOF
56
57# 3. Start the services
58docker compose up -d
59
60# 4. View logs
61docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/craft-cms/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Craft installation error 'could not connect to database': Verify DB_PASSWORD matches in both craft and postgres services
Matrix field data not saving: Check PostgreSQL max_allowed_packet size and JSON field limits in database configuration
Session timeout issues during content editing: Ensure Redis container is running and accessible on craft-network
Asset uploads failing: Verify ./craft directory permissions and volume mount is writable by container user
GraphQL queries timing out: Enable PostgreSQL query optimization and add appropriate indexes for content relationships
Craft security key errors: Ensure SECURITY_KEY environment variable is set and consistent across container restarts

Community Notes

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