⚡ PHP · SQLite · No dependencies · Full source code

Launch your own developer tool directory in an afternoon.

A complete, self-hosted directory CMS. Free and paid listings, backlink verification, OAuth login, Polar.sh payments, and a full admin panel — all out of the box. You own the code.

Buy DevStack CMS → 👁 Live Preview →

🐘 PHP 8.1+ 🗃️ SQLite — zero setup 💳 Polar.sh payments 🔐 Google + GitHub OAuth 📧 SMTP email 🛡️ reCAPTCHA 🔗 Backlink verification ⚡ No Composer / npm

Upload to any PHP host. Database auto-creates. Ready in minutes.

Tool	Tier	Status	Submitted
EditlyCMS Flat-file CMS for HTML	Paid	Pending	Today
SpeedMon Uptime monitoring tool	Free	Pending	Yesterday
LaunchKit SaaS starter template	Paid	Approved	2 days ago

What's included

Everything to run a real directory business.

Not a demo. Not a starter kit. A production-ready CMS with every feature you'd need to charge for listings and grow.

💳

Paid listings via Polar.sh

Charge for Pro listings with one-time payments. Polar.sh handles checkout and receipts. Webhook marks listings as paid. Sandbox mode for testing before going live. You keep 100% minus Polar's fee.

🔗

Automatic backlink verification

Free listings auto-approve when the submitter's backlink is detected. The system fetches the page and checks for a link to your domain. Failed checks go to pending for manual review. Bulk recheck from admin.

🏷️

Badge embed system

Users get dark and light badge embed codes after submission. Fully inline-styled HTML — works on any external site without CSS from your directory. SVG badge endpoint with style parameters.

🔐

Google + GitHub OAuth

Standard OAuth redirect flow — no JavaScript SDKs, no extra libraries. Users log in with Google or GitHub in two clicks. Existing accounts linked by email. Auto-verified on OAuth registration.

📧

Full SMTP email system

Email verification on registration, password reset, resend flow. Works with any SMTP provider — SendPulse (15k/month free), Mailtrap for testing, or your host's SMTP. Falls back to mail() if unconfigured.

🛡️

reCAPTCHA v2

Google reCAPTCHA on submit and registration forms. One toggle in admin settings. Paste site key and secret and you're done. Effectively stops automated spam submissions.

🖼️

OG image & favicon

Upload a global OG image (1200×630) for social sharing previews. Upload a favicon in any format — png, ico, svg, webp. Both served with daily cache-busting so browsers pick up changes immediately.

⚙️

Full admin panel

Dashboard with pending review queue. Tool management with approve/reject/delete. Category management. User management with suspend. All site settings in one place — no config files to edit.

🗄️

SQLite — zero database setup

Database auto-creates on first visit. Schema migrations run automatically on upgrade. No MySQL, no credentials, no phpMyAdmin. Back up your entire database with one file copy: data/directory.db

Zero friction setup

Upload. Visit. Done.

No Composer. No npm. No build step. No Docker. No CLI. Just PHP files on the hosting you already have.

✓

Upload files to public_html/ via FTP or cPanel File Manager

✓

Visit your domain — database initializes with sample categories automatically

✓

Set site name, domain, SMTP credentials, and Polar checkout link ID

✓

Enable Google/GitHub OAuth and reCAPTCHA from the settings panel

✓

Your directory is live and ready to accept submissions

setup.log

# Upload via FTP or File Manager

cms_fixed/ → public_html/

# Visit your domain

→ database initialized ✓

→ categories seeded ✓

→ settings loaded ✓

# Admin panel

yourdomain.com/admin

→ Configure SMTP ✓

→ Connect Polar.sh ✓

→ Enable OAuth ✓

Directory live 🚀

Revenue potential

Charge for listings. Keep everything.

The CMS comes with a built-in paid tier. You set the price. Polar.sh processes the payment. You get 100% minus their fee. No SaaS cut, no platform fee.

A directory with 5–10 paid submissions a month at $19 each covers most hosting costs. Scale it to 50+ and it's a meaningful income stream.

Monthly revenue estimator

Paid submissions / month 10

10 listings

At $19 per listing $190

Polar.sh fee (~5%) -$9.50

Your monthly revenue $180.50

Two listing tiers

Built-in monetisation.

Two tiers are configured out of the box. Change the paid price from admin settings anytime.

Free listing

$0 / forever

✓ Listed in directory
✓ Backlink + badge required
✓ Auto-approved on backlink detection
✗ No featured placement

Pro listing ★

$19 / one-time

✓ No backlink required
✓ Featured placement
✓ Priority review within 24h
✓ Payment via Polar.sh — you keep revenue

Who it's for

Built for indie developers and makers.

If you've ever thought "I could build a directory for this niche" — this is the fastest way to do it.

🛠️

Indie hackers

Launch a niche developer tool directory as a side project. Monetise with paid listings. A simple passive income stream alongside your main product.

🏢

Agencies & consultants

Build directories for clients in specific industries or tech stacks. White-label and deploy on their hosting. No licensing restrictions — you own the code.

📣

Community builders

Run a community around a technology or framework? A curated tool directory adds value to your audience and creates a revenue stream from tool vendors who want visibility.

Pricing

One price. Own it forever.

No subscription. No seat limits. No SaaS. Buy once, deploy as many times as you want, keep all updates.

⚡ Full source code included

$49

one-time payment — yours forever

Everything you need to launch a monetised developer tool directory from day one.

Complete PHP + SQLite source code
Admin panel — tools, categories, users, settings
Polar.sh payment integration (free + paid tiers)
Backlink verification + badge system
Google + GitHub OAuth login
SMTP email — verification + password reset
reCAPTCHA v2 spam protection
OG image + favicon upload
Full documentation included
Lifetime updates
Deploy on unlimited domains

Buy DevStack CMS — $49 →

✓ Full source code · ✓ No subscriptions · ✓ Unlimited deployments

FAQ

Questions answered.

Do I need Composer, npm, or any build tools? ▼

No. Zero dependencies. Upload the PHP files to any web host and visit your domain — that's it. No package managers, no CLI tools, no build steps of any kind.

What hosting does it run on? ▼

Any PHP 8.1+ host with SQLite support — shared hosting (cPanel, Plesk), VPS, dedicated servers. Hostinger, SiteGround, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, and most other hosts work out of the box. InfinityFree works for testing.

How does the payment integration work? ▼

Paid listings go through Polar.sh. You create a product in your Polar account, paste the checkout link ID into admin settings, add a webhook, and that's it. Polar handles checkout, receipts, and tax. You receive the payout. The CMS includes a sandbox mode for testing before going live.

Can I use this for client work or sell directories I build with it? ▼

Yes. You own the code. Build directories for clients, deploy for your own projects, use it however you like. There are no licensing restrictions on what you build with it.

Can I customise the design? ▼

Yes. All styles are in a single CSS file with CSS variables for colors, typography, and spacing at the top. Change the accent color, fonts, or layout by editing the :root variables. Site name, tagline, favicon, and OG image are all configurable from the admin panel without touching code.

What if I want to move to a new domain later? ▼

Upload the files and your database file (data/directory.db) to the new host. Update the badge domain in admin settings, then update callback URLs in Google, GitHub, and Polar. Everything else — all users, listings, settings, and categories — carries over automatically.

What does "lifetime updates" mean? ▼

Buy once and get all future updates to the CMS at no extra cost. Bug fixes, new features, and compatibility updates are included.