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Silex
AGPL-3.0Visual site builder that allows designing directly in the browser.
Open-source alternative to — compare it against:
Overview
Silex — the visual builder for static sites
The web belongs to everyone. Silex is a free/libre visual website builder — no lock-in, no subscription, no tracking. Design visually, export clean HTML/CSS, host anywhere.
Try Silex online | Documentation | Download the desktop app | Manifesto
Why Silex?
Most no-code tools lock you in: proprietary formats, forced hosting, subscriptions. Silex is different.
- Your data is yours — standard HTML/CSS output, export everything, host anywhere, leave anytime
- Real web skills — everything you learn in Silex (HTML, CSS, JAMstack) is transferable knowledge
- Community-owned — maintained by Silex Labs, a non-profit recognized as being of general interest. No investors, no exit strategy, transparent finances
- Free forever — always free software (AGPL), all features included, no premium tier
"The only open source alternative to Webflow." — "The most powerful and graphically precise website builder that I have experienced."
Who is Silex for?
- Web agencies — visual workflow, static output, scale client work without scaling your team
- WordPress developers — visual frontend, content from WP via GraphQL, ditch the theme layer
- Freelance webdesigners — create client sites without code, export standard HTML, host anywhere
- No-code developers — go beyond Wix/Squarespace with full CSS control and no vendor lock-in
Features
- GrapesJS-based visual editor — drag-and-drop page building with HTML, CSS, and JS editors
- Static HTML output — fast, secure, easy to host anywhere
- CMS integration — bind components to WordPress, Strapi, Squidex, or any GraphQL API
- 11ty compatible — generate static sites from Silex templates, deploy with CI/CD
- Desktop app (alpha) — work offline, no account needed, AI-ready with built-in MCP server. Built with Tauri for Windows, macOS, Linux. Download it or follow progress.
- Plugin system — extend with server and client plugins in JS/TS
- SEO tools — meta tags, Open Graph, per-page settings
- Self-hosting — Docker, Node.js, or one-click deploy on CapRover
Quick start
Use it online — v3.silex.me (free, requires a GitLab account for storage)
Desktop app (alpha) — download for Windows, macOS or Linux. Work offline, no account needed.
Contribute
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/silexlabs/Silex.git
cd Silex
pnpm install && pnpm build && pnpm start
Then open http://localhost:6805. For Docker and production setups, see the self-hosting guide.
Useful links to get you contributing fast:
- Good first issues — start here
- Contributing guide — coding standards, PR process, discuss-first rule
- Community forums — ask questions, share ideas
- Chat — quick help
- Bug reports
- AI-assisted coding — setup guide for Claude Code, Cursor, opencode, etc.
AI / Vibe coding
Design websites with AI — open, local, yours. Learn more
The upcoming Silex Desktop app will let you create and transform sites through prompts: describe what you want, see it built live, refine the design in real time, publish clean HTML/CSS anywhere.
Silex uses MCP (Model Context Protocol), an open standard — so you choose your AI. Run a local model with Ollama for full privacy, or use any MCP-compatible tool: OpenCode, Goose, Claude Code, etc. The MCP server is optimized for small local models (7B+).
See the vibe coding roadmap for what's coming (prompt library, examples cookbook, best practices guide — contributions welcome).
MCP setup (for developers)
Once Silex Desktop is running, connect your AI tool to:
http://localhost:6807/mcp
OpenCode — add an MCP server in your config file with URL http://localhost:6807/mcp.
Goose — add a remote server in your profile config with endpoint http://localhost:6807/mcp.
Claude Code — claude mcp add --transport http silex http://localhost:6807/mcp
Any other MCP client — use a Streamable HTTP transport pointed at the same URL.
Contributors
Silex is the work of contributors from all over the world. This project is maintained by Alex Hoyau and owned by the non-profit Silex Labs
2026 — Alex Hoyau, Aysajan Eziz, JE4NVRG, KozakLordOfMatrix, pupuking723, Ola Mohamed, Syed Ishmum Ahnaf, Wassim Triki
2025 — Alex Hoyau, Mazen Kamal, Piotr Golebiewski, ioleo, oliviermgx
2024 — Alex Hoyau, oliviermgx, JeremyZXi, SuperDelphi
2023 — Alex Hoyau, Eskeminha, Ari Karageorgos
2022 — Alex Hoyau, Khaled Bentoumi
2021 — Alex Hoyau
2020 — Alex Hoyau
2019 — Alex Hoyau
2018 — Alex Hoyau, Jean-Baptiste Richardet, jotakar, swakarm
2017 — Alex Hoyau, Jean-Baptiste Richardet, Jenn Parker, Rapenne Solène, tariqbenezza, singchan
2016 — Alex Hoyau, singchan, Pierre Ozoux
2015 — Alex Hoyau, singchan, Christophe, Pierre Ozoux, René Föhring, christian-bromann
2014 — Alex Hoyau, Camille Gérard-Hirne, neocorp64, Michele Martone, peoslaap
2013 — Alex Hoyau, Yann Le Scouarnec, TheCause, yanhick, Alexandre Hoyau, Thomas Fetiveau
The list above is generated from the git history of this repository, so it only covers code. Silex owes just as much to people whose work lives elsewhere:
- Brice Martin (ceubri) — templates, brand assets and design
- Jonas Moreau (MoreauJonas) — detailed bug reports and feedback from real world use
- BaguetteAgile — years of bug reports and integration requests, from GitLab publishing to AI agents
- sidmint — precise usability feedback on the editor and the desktop app
- Likha Studios (GetLikha) — reproducible bug reports on Silex v3
Links
- Official website
- Manifesto — our values and commitments
- User documentation
- Developer documentation
- Road map — help define tasks and priorities
- Community forums
- Newsletter (EN) | (FR)
- Release announcements — every stable release, also available as an RSS feed
- OpenCollective — financial contributions
Built on
Silex stands on the shoulders of these open-source projects and their communities:
- GrapesJS — front-end drag-and-drop framework
- 11ty (Eleventy) — static site generator used for CMS integration
- Tauri — desktop app framework (Rust + WebView)
- TypeScript — language used across packages
Funding
An OW2 project, funded by the NGI0 Commons Fund, supported by its sponsors and volunteers.
Credits
Brought to you since 2009 by Alex Hoyau and the Silex community.
Silex is free/libre software. Join the community, contribute, donate, or report bugs.
