Skip to main content

Local — CMS Access

Now that both servers are running (see Run Local), you can open Decap CMS and start editing content.

Decap CMS is a visual editor — you update your website through a browser, no code needed.

Step 1 — Open the Admin Panel​

With both terminals still running, open your browser and go to:

http://localhost:8000/admin/

python ssg pro jamstack static site generator

You will see the Decap CMS login screen.

Step 2 — Log In​

In local mode, no password or account is required.

  • Click Login (or Log in with GitHub if that button appears)
  • The admin panel opens immediately

If you see a GitHub login button and no way to skip it, your config.yml is set to backend: github. For local use, switch to backend: git-gateway or use local_backend: true. See the Configuration section for details.

Step 3 — Explore the Sidebar​

Once logged in, you will see three main collections in the sidebar:

📋 Site Settings​

Controls global site information:

  • Site name, title, description
  • Navigation menu
  • Pricing section
  • FAQ section
  • Footer content

📄 Pages​

Controls individual pages:

  • Home Page — hero, stats, projects, pricing, FAQ, testimonial
  • About Page
  • Contact Page
  • Journal Page
  • Projects Page

📝 Blog Posts and Projects​

Two collection folders:

  • Blog Posts — write and publish articles
  • Projects — add portfolio items

Step 4 — Edit Your First Field​

Let's change the site title as a test.

  1. Click Site Settings in the sidebar
  2. Click Site Configuration
  3. Find the field Site Name
  4. Change the value (e.g., from PYCORA to My Site)
  5. Click Save at the top right

The change is written to _data/site.yaml. The dev server rebuilds automatically.

Open http://localhost:8000 — your new site name appears.

Step 5 — How Saving Works (Local Mode)​

In local mode:

  • Save writes the change to your local file
  • The dev server detects the change and rebuilds
  • The browser refreshes automatically

You do not need to commit anything. Changes stay on your computer until you deploy.

Step 6 — Editing Media​

Images and other media are stored in static/img/.

To upload an image:

  1. Click any image field (e.g., in Home Page → Hero → Image)
  2. Click Upload
  3. Select an image from your computer
  4. The image is saved to static/img/
  5. Click Save

See Media Uploads for the full guide.

Collections Overview​

Here is a quick reference of what each collection controls.

CollectionFileWhat It Controls
Site Settings → Site Configuration_data/site.yamlGlobal site info, nav, pricing, FAQ, footer
Pages → Home Pagecontent/index.mdHomepage sections
Pages → About Pagecontent/about.mdAbout page content
Pages → Contact Pagecontent/contact.mdContact form and info
Pages → Journal Pagecontent/journal.mdJournal listing page
Pages → Projects Pagecontent/projects.mdProjects listing page
Blog Postscontent/posts/*.mdIndividual blog articles
Projectscontent/projects/*.mdIndividual project pages

Troubleshooting​

CMS shows a blank white page​

The Decap CMS proxy is not running. Make sure Terminal 1 is still active with npx decap-server.

"Unrecognized front-matter format"​

The Decap server is not running from the correct folder. Close it and restart from inside the Pycora Pro folder.

Changes are not saving​

  1. Check that Terminal 1 (Decap server) is still running
  2. Check that Terminal 2 (dev server) is still running
  3. Look at the terminal output for error messages

CMS loads, but collections are empty​

The content folders are empty. Make sure content/ has Markdown files inside.

Login button does nothing​

Check static/admin/config.yml. In local mode, the backend should be:

backend:
  name: git-gateway
  branch: main

or use local_backend: true.

What's Next?​

You are now inside Decap CMS. Let's learn how to edit every page in detail.

👉 Next: Edit Content →