BCMS Starters is a free collection of website starter templates pre-integrated with the BCMS headless CMS, covering five JavaScript frameworks. Each starter uses Tailwind CSS for styling and is available for Next.js, Nuxt, Gatsby, Astro, and SvelteKit through a single CLI command.
What is BCMS Starters?
BCMS Starters is a free, open-source set of website starters published by the BCMS team. It provides ready-made templates that connect to the BCMS headless CMS, so developers can skip repetitive setup for content management. The starters are built with Tailwind CSS and come in framework-specific variations for Next.js, Nuxt, Gatsby, Astro, and SvelteKit. Each template is a GitHub repository under the bcms/starters organization, and you can scaffold one with the command npx @thebcms/cli create followed by the framework name.
Key Features
- Six framework options — Starters are available for Next.js, Nuxt, Gatsby, Astro, and SvelteKit; SvelteKit currently offers the simple blog starter, with more coming soon.
- Nine template categories — The collection includes simple blog, blog, conference, job board, recipes, personal website, restaurant, podcast, and e-commerce starters.
- Tailwind CSS styling — Every starter uses Tailwind CSS for utility-first, responsive design.
- BCMS integration — Each starter is wired to BCMS, a headless CMS, so content is managed through the BCMS dashboard.
- CLI scaffolding — One command, such as
npx @thebcms/cli create nextornpx @thebcms/cli create astro, downloads and initializes the chosen starter. - Open source on GitHub — All starters live in the bcms/starters repository and are free to use and modify.
- Responsive layouts — The templates are designed to work across screen sizes, as stated on the project page.
Who is it for?
- Developers — Scaffold a content-driven website with BCMS already connected, saving hours of setup.
- Agencies and freelancers — Use the conference, restaurant, or personal website starters to kick off client projects.
- Content creators — Launch a blog, podcast, or recipe site without writing backend code for content management.
What can you do with BCMS Starters?
- Launch a blog — Use the blog or simple blog starter in any supported framework to publish posts managed in BCMS.
- Create a conference website — The conference starter provides sections for event details, speakers, and schedules.
- Build a job board — The job board starter lets you list openings and accept submissions with BCMS handling the data.
- Set up an online store — The e-commerce starter includes product listings and a shopping-cart foundation connected to BCMS.
How does BCMS Starters work?
Run the appropriate CLI command for your framework, such as npx @thebcms/cli create next. The CLI clones the starter and sets up the project files. You connect the project to your BCMS instance, then manage content through BCMS while the starter renders it on the frontend.
FAQ
Is BCMS Starters free?
Yes, all starters are free and open source. You can use them for personal or commercial projects without a license fee.
Which frameworks are supported?
The starters support Next.js, Nuxt, Gatsby, Astro, and SvelteKit. SvelteKit currently includes only the simple blog starter; the other SvelteKit templates are marked as coming soon.
How do I create a starter?
Use the BCMS CLI by running npx @thebcms/cli create followed by the framework name, for example npx @thebcms/cli create next.
Do I need a BCMS account?
Yes, because the starters are pre-integrated with BCMS as the content backend, you need a BCMS instance to manage and serve your content.
Are the templates responsive?
The project page states that the starters are responsive and high-performance, and they are built with Tailwind CSS to support responsive design.
