Edit your own website after launch? Meet Areca CMS
Our colleague Emir Kaan built Areca CMS in his spare time: a free, open-source CMS that lets clients update their own website. Developed in two months, with AI agents.
In this article
Almost every web project brings the same question from clients: can we still edit the content ourselves after launch? Our colleague Emir Kaan Özver, Full Stack Developer at MINIMA, built an answer in his spare time: Areca CMS, a free and open-source CMS for web agencies that manage many client websites.
In short
Clients write their content in a visual editor, someone approves it, and one click puts it live. The website stays fast and static and never depends on the CMS.
Why Emir Kaan built it
"At MINIMA we build every website in code with TanStack Start. That keeps sites fast and solid, but every new blog post, job opening or small text change ended up on our desk. So I took the initiative and built a solution in my spare time."
Emir Kaan Özver, Full Stack Developer at MINIMA
What Areca CMS does
- A visual editor: clients edit their text next to a live preview of their own website.
- Approve first, then publish: an editor writes, an owner approves, and one click puts it live.
- Fast and independent: visitors get static pages. If the CMS goes down, the website keeps working.
- Ready for AI: each site has its own MCP server, so assistants such as Claude or ChatGPT can write drafts with the same rights and the same approval step.
Built with AI agents
Areca CMS was also an experiment: how large can a system get when one person builds it with today's AI tools? In two months, AI agents wrote most of the code, while Emir Kaan wrote the specifications, reviewed everything, tested and made the decisions. Previews, screenshots, tests and a review by a second AI model proved to be the key to a reliable result.
That matches what we see in our own AI projects: AI works best when a human stays at the wheel.
This website runs on Areca CMS too
minimaworks.be itself is managed with Areca CMS. This article was created as a draft through the CMS's AI connection, then reviewed and approved by our team.
Want to know more?
Areca CMS is free, open source (MIT) and still at an early stage. Feedback is welcome.
- Emir Kaan's full story: emirkaan.be
- Website and documentation: arecacms.com
- Code on GitHub: github.com/seirai-dev/areca-cms
How we help
We build fast, modern websites in code and make sure your team can manage the content afterwards. Curious what that could mean for your website? Get in touch with us.
Frequently asked questions
What is Areca CMS?
Areca CMS is an open-source, self-hosted CMS for web agencies that manage many client websites. Clients edit their content in a visual editor, an owner approves it and one click puts it live.
Is Areca CMS free?
Yes. Areca CMS is free and open source under the MIT license. The project is still at an early stage (version 0.x).
Can Areca CMS connect to AI assistants?
Yes. Each site has its own MCP server, so AI assistants such as Claude or ChatGPT can write drafts with the same rights as the person who connected them. The approval step stays in place.
