CMS 13 overview

5 min

Optimizely Content Management System (CMS 13) is a cloud-first content management system built on .NET 10 that delivers content through a headless architecture powered by Optimizely Graph. This architecture separates where you create content from where you display it, letting you publish the same content to websites, mobile apps, and other channels without rebuilding it for each one. CMS 13 provides content managers with visual authoring tools, administrators with streamlined platform governance, and developers with flexible APIs and SDKs. CMS 13 operates as part of the Optimizely One ecosystem, enabling composability with Content Marketing Platform (CMP) and Digital Asset Management (DAM).

Architecture

CMS 13 separates content management from content presentation through a headless delivery model. Content is authored and managed in the CMS, then delivered through Optimizely Graph, a GraphQL-based service that indexes, queries, and serves content across channels. This enables development teams to build front-end experiences with any framework while content teams work independently.

CMS 13 also supports traditional ASP.NET MVC rendering for teams that require server-side rendering.

Every CMS 13 license includes two mandatory platform components:

Opti IDOpti ID – Single sign-on (SSO) for all Optimizely products, with multi-factor authentication (MFA) and System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) provisioning. Opti ID enables integration with DAM and Optimizely Opal.

Optimizely Graph – The content delivery and indexing layer that replaces Search & Navigation. Graph powers Content Manager, content binding, and DAM asset search within the editing interface.

For technical details on these components, see Overview of CMS 13.

Key capabilities

CMS 13 provides the following core capabilities across all roles:

Visual Builder – The default editing experience, replacing On-Page Editing (OPE). Content authors compose pages with a drag-and-drop canvas that provides real-time preview, autosave, and direct property editing.

Experiences and Sections – Flexible layout structures that decouple design from content models. Content managers build page layouts from reusable sections without developer involvement.

Content Manager – A search-first interface powered by Optimizely Graph for discovering and managing content at scale, with filtering by content type, status, and language.

Content Variations – Multiple published versions of the same content item for A/B testing, personalization, and seasonal content scenarios. The system stores only deltas and maintains independent version histories.

Multi-language and auto-translation – Language fallback chains, multiple translation initiation points, and machine translation that preserves content structure. See Translate content.

Templates and Blueprints – Predefined content structures that streamline page creation with reusable layouts and preset property values.

Optimizely OpalOptimizely Opal – A generative AI agent orchestration platform with system tools for content creation, translation, and workflow automation. See Opal chat for CMS 13.

DAM integration – Browse, search, and select DAM assets directly within the CMS editing interface.

For content managers

Content managers create, edit, publish, and organize digital content across languages and channels. The editing interface centers on Visual Builder, where content managers compose pages and experiences by arranging elements within sections, rows, and columns. Content Variations enable experimentation and personalization without duplicating pages, and approval sequences enforce governance before publication.

Collaboration tools include inline comments, projects for coordinating multi-page changes, and translation workflows with auto-translation support.

To get started, see Get started with CMS 13 for users.

For administrators

Administrators configure the CMS platform, manage user access, and monitor system health through the Settings interface. Key responsibilities include configuring Applications (the replacement for Site Definitions), managing content types and access rights, and monitoring scheduled jobs.

CMS 13 manages user access through Opti ID or through direct user administration for deployments without Opti ID. Data management capabilities include exporting and importing large sites with background processing.

To get started, see Settings for an overview of administrative functions.

For developers and implementors

Developers build, extend, and integrate CMS 13 using .NET APIs, the CMS REST API, and Optimizely Graph. Content types are defined as C# classes with typed properties, indexed to Optimizely Graph for delivery. Content type contracts using .NET interfaces provide flexible modeling that reduces package dependencies.

CMS 13 provides multiple APIs for content management and delivery:

CMS REST API – Enabled by default through the AddCms() method for programmatic content management.

Graph C# SDK – A fluent .NET API for querying content from Optimizely Graph. The SDK provides typed deserialization, facets, and caching.

Optimizely Graph GraphQL API – A GraphQL endpoint for headless content delivery across content types, languages, and variations.

Extend the editing interface with React components, shell modules, and TinyMCE customization. See Develop the CMS UI for UI extension patterns.

Teams upgrading from CMS 12 should review Upgrade to CMS 13, Breaking changes in CMS 13, and Migrate from Search and Navigation to Optimizely Graph.

To get started, see Get started with CMS 13 development and Configure CMS 13.

The following resources provide reference material for CMS 13:

CMS 13 class libraries – .NET API reference documentation.

Overview of Graph C# SDK – SDK documentation for .NET developers consuming content through Graph.

Optimizely Academy – Training courses and certification exams.