[opensourcedex]

oqtane.framework is a free, open source content management systems (cms) project written in C# and released under MIT. It has 2,259 GitHub stars, 642 forks and 27 open issues, and was last pushed 17 hours ago. On this registry it ranks #36 of 70 tracked projects in Content Management Systems (CMS), with 5 head-to-head comparisons available. It gained 1 stars over the last 30 tracked days.

What is oqtane.framework?

Oqtane Framework is an open-source CMS and application framework for building modern .NET applications and websites that run on web, desktop, and mobile, aimed at .NET developers and teams who would rather build their business features than rebuild general infrastructure.

What it is

Oqtane is an open-source Content Management System and application framework written in C# and released under the MIT licence. It is an official member of the .NET Foundation and is governed by the .NET Foundation Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct. The project provides scalable services and a composable UI that can be hosted on Static Blazor, Blazor Server, Blazor WebAssembly, or Blazor Hybrid through .NET MAUI, which lets the same application reach web, desktop, and mobile targets. Its topic list confirms the intended shape of the framework: aspnetcore, blazor, c-sharp, cms, framework, maui, modular, multi-tenant, saas, and webassembly.

The concrete problem it solves is stated directly in the project's own slogan, "Build Applications, Not Infrastructure." A team adopting Oqtane does not have to assemble its own hosting layer, administration surface, tenant handling, or module scaffolding before writing the first line of business logic. The framework replaces that hand-built general infrastructure with a prepared foundation, described by the project as "Rocket Fuel for Blazor," and it accelerates Blazor development specifically by supplying the surrounding services and UI composition that a Blazor project would otherwise have to grow on its own.

Key capabilities

  • .NET CLI application template installed with dotnet new install Oqtane.Application.Template and scaffolded with dotnet new oqtane-app -o MyCompany.MyProject.
  • Multiple hosting models for the same application: Static Blazor, Blazor Server, Blazor WebAssembly, and Blazor Hybrid via .NET MAUI.
  • Database flexibility across SQLite, mySQL, and PostgreSQL, with LocalDB supported for development, all configured through the Installation Wizard.
  • Multi-tenant and modular architecture, reflected in the multi-tenant, modular, and saas topics, which supports software-as-a-service deployments.
  • First-party module generation through Control Panel, Admin Dashboard, Module Management, and the Create Module action, which writes module code to a location on disk.
  • Solution-based development using the Oqtane.slnx solution file with Oqtane.Server as the startup project.
  • Ready-made deployment paths, including an Azure Resource Manager template referenced by azuredeploy.json and a free MonsterASP.NET ASP.NET hosting account.

Who uses it and how

  • .NET teams building multi-tenant SaaS products, where tenant isolation and modular composition are framework concerns rather than bespoke ones.
  • Developers in Visual Studio environments ranging from Community to Enterprise editions, since the project explicitly supports all editions with the ASP.NET and web development workload.
  • Module authors who log in as the host user, generate a module from Module Management, and open the generated solution to extend the platform.
  • Teams evaluating the framework quickly, using the Azure cloud deployment option with an Azure account or the MonsterASP.NET free hosting account, which requires no credit card and carries no hidden fees.
  • Developers debugging locally by opening the .slnx file in an IDE and pressing F5 after the initial build.

Getting started

The documented path for version 10.0.0 and later is to install the Oqtane Application Template, run dotnet new oqtane-app -o MyCompany.MyProject, build it, then run dotnet run from the Server directory; source-based setup requires the .NET 10.0 SDK, Visual Studio 2026 with the ASP.NET and web development workload, and a clone of either the master or dev branch. Either route ends at an Installation Wizard that configures the preferred database and creates the host user account.

How it compares

No list of paid products that Oqtane replaces is provided in the available facts, and no directly comparable CMS or application framework is named either. On the evidence here, it stands alone in this registry.

When to use it — and when not to

A self-hoster must operate a database (SQLite, mySQL, or PostgreSQL) and complete the Installation Wizard to create a host user account, and anyone building from source must maintain the .NET 10.0 SDK plus Visual Studio 2026 toolchain. Teams outside the .NET and Blazor ecosystem should not choose it, because every capability described here assumes that stack. The project is active, with release 10.2.6 published on September 14, 2026, a last push on the same date, and 27 open issues against 2,255 stars and 642 forks, so the usual caution applies to teams that need formal commercial support commitments.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Oqtane Framework

Oqtane

Oqtane is an open source Content Management System (CMS) and Application Framework that provides advanced functionality for developing web, mobile, and desktop applications on modern .NET.

Oqtane allows you to "Build Applications, Not Infrastructure" which means that you can focus your efforts on solving your unique business challenges rather than wasting time and effort on building general infrastructure.

Oqtane is "Rocket Fuel for Blazor" as it provides powerful capabilities to accelerate your Blazor development experience, providing scalable services and a composable UI which can be hosted on Static Blazor, Blazor Server, Blazor WebAssembly, or Blazor Hybrid (via .NET MAUI).

Oqtane is being developed based on some fundamental principles which are outlined in the Oqtane Philosophy. This project is an official member of the .NET Foundation and is governed by the .NET Foundation Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct

Latest Release

10.2.6 was released on September 14, 2026.

Try It Now!

Microsoft's Public Cloud (requires an Azure account)
Deploy to Azure

A free ASP.NET hosting account. No hidden fees. No credit card required.
Deploy to MonsterASP.NET

Getting Started (Version 10.0.0+)

Installing using the Oqtane Application Template:

If you have an older version of the Oqtane Application Template installed and want to use the latest, use the following .NET CLI command to uninstall the old version:

dotnet new uninstall Oqtane.Application.Template

To install the Oqtane Application Template and create a new project, use the following .NET CLI commands (note that "MyCompany.MyProject" can be replaced with your own unique company and project name):

dotnet new install Oqtane.Application.Template
dotnet new oqtane-app -o MyCompany.MyProject 
cd MyCompany.MyProject
dotnet build
cd Server
dotnet run
  • Browse to the Url specified to run the application (an Installation Wizard screen will be displayed the first time you run the application)
  • To develop/debug the application in an IDE, open the *.slnx file in the root folder and hit F5

Installing using source code from the Dev/Master branch:

  • Install Latest .NET 10.0 SDK.

  • Install the latest edition of Visual Studio 2026 with the ASP.NET and web development workload enabled. Oqtane works with ALL editions of Visual Studio from Community to Enterprise. If you wish to use LocalDB for development ( not a requirement as Oqtane supports SQLite, mySQL, and PostgreSQL ) you must also install the Data storage and processing.

  • Clone (or download) the Oqtane source code to your local system:

  • Open the Oqtane.slnx solution file (make sure you specify Oqtane.Server as the Startup Project)

  • Run the application... an Installation Wizard screen will be displayed which will allow you to configure your preferred database and create a host user account.

Developing a custom module:

  • follow the instructions for installing using source code outlined above

  • login as the host user

  • navigate to Control Panel (gear icon at top-right of page), Admin Dashboard, Module Management

  • select Create Module

  • enter information corresponding to the module you wish to create and then select the Create button

  • make note of the Location where the code was generated and open the solution file in Visual Studio

  • Build / Rebuild Solution, ensure the Oqtane.Server is set as the Startup Project, and hit F5 to run the solution

Installing an official release:

  • all official releases of Oqtane are distributed on GitHub. Releases include an Install.zip package for new installations and an Upgrade.zip for existing installations.

  • A detailed set of instructions for installing Oqtane on Azure is located here: Installing Oqtane on Azure

  • A detailed set of instructions for installing Oqtane on IIS is located here: Installing Oqtane on IIS

  • Instructions for upgrading Oqtane are located here: Upgrading Oqtane

Additional Instructions

  • If you have already installed a previous version of Oqtane and you wish to do a clean database install, simply reset the DefaultConnection value in the Oqtane.Server\appsettings.json file to "". This will trigger a re-install when you run the application which will execute the database installation.

  • If you want to submit pull requests it is recommended you ignore any local changes you have made to the appsettings.json file before you submit a pull request. To automate this activity, open a command prompt and navigate to the /Oqtane.Server/ folder and enter the command "git update-index --skip-worktree appsettings.json"

Video Series

  • If you are getting started with Oqtane, a series of videos are available which explain how to install the product, interact with the user interface, and develop custom modules.

Oqtane Marketplace

Explore and enhance your Oqtane experience by visiting the Oqtane Marketplace. Discover a variety of modules, themes, and extensions contributed by the community. Visit Oqtane Marketplace

Documentation

There is a separate Documentation repository which contains a variety of types of documentation for Oqtane, including API documentation that is auto generated using Docfx. The contents of the repository is published to Githib Pages and is available at https://docs.oqtane.org

Join the Community

Connect with other developers, get support, and share ideas by joining the Oqtane community on Discord!

Join our Discord

Roadmap

This project is open source, and therefore is a work in progress...

Backlog

  • Folder Providers
  • Native MCP Server

10.2.6 (Sep 14, 2026)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.2.5 (Sep 10, 2026)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.2.4 (Aug 17, 2026)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.2.3 (Jul 26, 2026)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.2.2 (Jul 24, 2026)

  • Marketplace integration
  • Stabilization improvements

10.2.1 (Jun 19, 2026)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.2.0 (May 29, 2026)

  • Distributed Caching
  • Scale-out Support
  • Docker Support

10.1.2 (Mar 26, 2026)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.1.1 (Mar 6, 2026)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.1.0 (Feb 25, 2026)

  • Site Groups, Content Synchronization, Content Localization
  • Global Replace
  • Copy Page
  • Site Tasks

10.0.4 (Jan 20, 2026)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.0.3 (Dec 24, 2025)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.0.2 (Dec 23, 2025)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.0.1 (Dec 15, 2025)

  • Stabilization improvements

10.0.0 (Nov 14, 2025)

  • Migration to .NET 10
  • Passkey Authentication

6.2.1 (Sep 29, 2025)

  • Stabilization improvements

6.2.0 (Sep 9, 2025)

  • Oqtane Application Template
  • Radzen Text Editor
  • Setting Management

6.1.5 (Aug 17, 2025)

  • Stabilization improvements
  • Database provider improvements

6.1.4 (Jul 30, 2025)

  • Stabilization improvements
  • SMTP OAuth2 Support

6.1.3 (May 29, 2025)

  • Stabilization improvements
  • Time zone support
  • Module header/footer content
  • Module import/export from files

6.1.2 (Apr 10, 2025)

  • Stabilization improvements

6.1.1 (Mar 12, 2025)

  • Stabilization improvements
  • Cookie Consent Banner & Privacy/Terms

6.1.0 (Feb 11, 2025)

  • Static Asset / Folder Asset Caching
  • JavaScript improvements in Blazor Static Server Rendering (SSR)
  • User Impersonation

6.0.1 (Dec 20, 2024)

  • Stabilization improvements

6.0.0 (Nov 14, 2024)

  • Migration to .NET 9

5.2.4 (Oct 17, 2024)

  • Stabilization improvements

5.2.3 (Sep 23, 2024)

  • Stabilization improvements

5.2.2 (Sep 23, 2024)

  • Stabilization improvements
  • Support for Security Stamp to faciliate Logout Everywhere
  • Role synchronization from External Login identity providers

5.2.1 (Aug 22, 2024)

  • Stabilization improvements
  • Unzip support in File Management

5.2.0 (Jul 25, 2024)

  • Site Content Search
  • RichTextEditor extensibility
  • Scalability and performance improvements

5.1.2 (May 28, 2024)

  • Stabilization improvements

5.1.1 (Apr 16, 2024)

  • Stabilization improvements

5.1.0 (Mar 27, 2024)

  • Migration to the new unified Blazor approach in .NET 8 (ie. blazor.web.js)
  • Static Server Rendering (SSR) support

5.0.2 (Jan 25, 2024)

  • Stabilization improvements

5.0.1 (Dec 21, 2023)

  • Stabilization improvements

5.0.0 (Nov 16, 2023)

  • Migration to .NET 8

➡️ Full list and older versions can be found in the docs roadmap

Background

Oqtane was created by Shaun Walker and was inspired by his earlier efforts creating the DotNetNuke web application framework for the .NET Framework. Oqtane is a native Blazor application written from the ground up using modern .NET Core technology and a Single Page Application (SPA) architecture. It is a modular application framework offering a fully dynamic page compositing model, multi-site support, designer friendly themes, and extensibility via third party modules.

Reference Implementations

Built On Blazor! - a showcase of sites built on Blazor

.NET Foundation Project Trends - tracks the most active .NET Foundation open source projects based on GitHub activity

Architecture

The following diagram visualizes the client and server components in the Oqtane architecture.

Architecture

Databases

Oqtane supports multiple relational database providers - SQL Server, SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL

Databases

Example Screenshots

Install Wizard:

Installer

Default view after installation:

Home

A seamless login flow utilizing .NET Core Identity services:

Login

Main view for authorized users, allowing full management of modules and content:

Admin View

Content editing user experience using modal dialog:

Edit Content

Context menu for managing specific module on page:

Manage Module

Control panel for adding, editing, and deleting pages as well as adding new modules to a page:

Manage Page

Admin dashboard for accessing the various administrative features of the framework:

Admin Dashboard

Responsive design mobile view:

Mobile View

Frequently asked questions

Is oqtane.framework free to use?

oqtane.framework is open source under the MIT licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does oqtane.framework do?

Oqtane is an open-source developer productivity platform for building modern .NET applications and websites that run on Web, Desktop and Mobile.

What is oqtane.framework written in?

oqtane.framework is primarily written in C#. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/oqtane/oqtane.framework, and it has 2,259 GitHub stars.