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How do I enable the CMS and create my first content model?

Updated Aug 21, 2026

The Content CMS is an optional add-on for managing structured multilingual content — like blog posts, help articles, changelogs, and product descriptions — alongside your i18n keys.

Do you need the Content CMS? #

The Content CMS is for free-form content with rich structure. If you're managing t('key') strings in your code, that's handled by the Translation API — you don't need the CMS for that.

Use the Content CMS when you need:

  • Articles or documents with markdown bodies
  • Content with custom fields (author, date, category)
  • Multiple language versions managed separately
  • Content served via API or CDN (not bundled in your app)

Step 1: Enable the Content CMS #

  1. Go to your project in the dashboard
  2. Click on the Content tab
  3. If not already enabled, click "Enable Content CMS"

The Content tab is available on all plans. Some advanced features (custom models, bulk operations) may require higher tiers.

Step 2: Create your first content model #

A content model is the schema for your content type. Think of it like a database table definition.

  1. In the Content tab, click "New model"
  2. Enter a name (e.g., "Help Article") and a slug (e.g., help-article)
  3. Add custom fields:
    • Text — short strings (titles, authors)
    • Textarea — longer text (excerpts, summaries)
    • Number — integers or decimals
    • Boolean — true/false flags
    • Enum — dropdown from a fixed list of values
    • Relation — reference to another content model
  4. For fields you want translated per language, enable "Localized"
  5. Click Create model

One model-level setting is worth deciding now rather than later: whether entries of this model carry a body at all. Models with a body (articles, posts) require non-empty content in a language before that language can be published. Metadata-only models — tags, categories, other taxonomies — publish on their fields alone.

Step 3: Create your first entry #

  1. Select your model in the Content tab
  2. Click "New entry"
  3. Fill in the title, body, and custom fields
  4. Click Save or Publish

After publishing, the entry is available from the Content API:

Bash
curl "https://content.better-i18n.com/v1/content/your-org/your-project/models/help-article/entries?status=published" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Next steps #