Ratals is an open-source PHP CMS, eCommerce platform, and ERP system built for self-hosted businesses and developers who want full control over their website, accounting, inventory, data, infrastructure, and workflows - without relying on fragmented SaaS tools.
Instead of stitching together multiple platforms, Ratals allows you to manage your website, sales, inventory, and accounting in one system.
- Dynamic page builder and content management
- Media library and asset management
- SEO-friendly structure and routing
- Full control over templates and rendering
- Product and category management
- Order processing and customer accounts
- Payment gateway integrations
- Inventory-aware checkout system
- General ledger and journal entries
- Financial reports (Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cash Flow)
- Inventory tracking across warehouses
- Purchase orders and receiving workflows
- Self-hosted with One-Click internal updates
- Optimized for high performance and low latency
- Works with Nginx, Apache, or LiteSpeed
- Designed for scalability
- Built in PHP with a modular architecture
- Hook system for safe customization
- Clean codebase and file structure
- Full control over database and logic
Ratals includes a native, smart update system built directly into the core.
- Smart License Updates - The system identifies your active licenses to deliver the appropriate updates. The CMS core remains up-to-date for everyone, while Business modules (Commerce, ERP, AI) are updated for active license holders.
- Real-time Notifications - Receive update alerts and security messages directly in your admin dashboard.
- Environment Safety Checks - To ensure total compatibility, the system automatically verifies your PHP and MySQL versions before the update button is even displayed.
- Data Integrity - Updates are designed to swap system files and intelligently manage database schema changes - adding or updating core columns while preserving your custom columns, configurations, and media.
- Developers who want full control over their stack.
- Businesses that prefer self-hosting over SaaS platforms.
- Teams looking to unify CMS, eCommerce, and ERP systems.
- PHP 8.1+
- PHP GD
- MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.11+
- Web server (Apache 2.4+, LiteSpeed, or Nginx)
Ratals can be installed in two ways depending on your experience level.
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Download the latest release ZIP from GitHub.
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Extract the files on your computer.
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Upload the contents of the extracted Ratals folder to your website's document root (
public_htmlor equivalent). Do not upload the containing Ratals folder (ratals-cms-main) unless your domain is configured to use that folder as its document root. -
Make sure your domain's document root points to the directory containing the Ratals files.
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Open your browser and visit your domain.
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Server Configuration (Nginx Users Only):
- Nginx Users: You must manually configure your server block for routing to work. Get the Nginx Configuration Guide here.
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The installer will automatically load and guide you through:
- Database connection setup
- Initial system configuration
- Email account configuration - Have an email account set up for your domain with login credentials. Ratals uses SMTP email delivery to send security alerts and other system notifications.
- Admin account creation
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Once completed, you will be redirected to your admin dashboard.
If the installer does not appear, verify that your domain's document root points to the directory containing the Ratals files and that all files were uploaded correctly.
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Clone the repository from GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/ratals-inc/ratals-cms.git -
Navigate into the project directory to see the downloaded files:
cd Ratals -
Follow the same installation steps as above.
Full documentation: https://www.ratals.com/tutorials/
Ratals is built on a few core principles:
- Data & Platform Sovereignty - You own your server and your data. Unlike SaaS, your website stays online even if you choose not to renew a business license. Our internal update system ensures your platform stays modern and secure without ever losing control of your infrastructure.
- Developer Freedom - No restrictions on customization or deployment.
- All-in-One System - CMS, commerce, and operations in one platform.
- Performance Matters - Fast load times and efficient backend processing.
Ratals uses a dual-license model:
- Ratals core CMS framework is released under the Apache 2.0 License.
- You are free to use, modify, distribute, and deploy it based on Apache 2.0 License.
Advanced features such as Commerce, ERP, and AI modules are provided under the Ratals Business commercial license.
Under the Ratals Business License:
- You are granted a usage license for the software.
- You do not obtain ownership of the proprietary business modules.
- The source code remains the intellectual property of Ratals Inc.
- Redistribution, resale, or re-licensing is not permitted.
- Safe Harbor: You may deploy these modules to a single contracted client, provided that a valid Ratals Business License has been purchased by the client for their instance.
- You fully control your installation and own your data.
- You can modify the open-source core freely.
- Business modules are licensed for use within your organization or deployed for a specific client project.
In short: You own your data. You are licensed to use the advanced Ratals Business features.
View full license details:
- Apache 2.0 License: https://www.ratals.com/license/
- Ratals Business License: https://www.ratals.com/business-license/
- Website: https://www.ratals.com/
- Documentation: https://www.ratals.com/tutorials/
- License Keys: https://www.ratals.com/account/license-keys/
- Notices: https://www.ratals.com/notices/
- Credits & Dependencies: https://www.ratals.com/credits/
- Pricing: https://www.ratals.com/pricing/
We welcome contributions to the Ratals CMS Core. Please see our Contributing Guide for more details. For security vulnerabilities, please email support@ratals.com instead of opening a public issue.
For support, documentation, and updates, visit: https://www.ratals.com/