dotNEWS: September 2025
A message from our Technical Writer, Jamie Mauro:
As a new intro, we’ll be spilling some pixel-ink on new developments in dotCMS. You may wonder: “Isn’t that what the newsletter already does?” I reply that you are correct and I am defeated; I discorporate cinematically into motes of ash and dust. Still, this blurb aims to spotlight changes outside of major feature releases — humble layers of fascia that make impressive musculature possible.
To kick things off, the Block Editor has received some love: better keyboard navigation, cleaner UI elements, bugs squashed. We’ve retired some bespoke editor tech, retooling features with official TipTap extensions to simplify maintenance. We’ve also added a way to copy blocks as, or paste from, markdown via context menu options.
We’ve improved our content editor’s field behaviors and dependencies in one fell swoop, via angular updates. We’re also beefing up the new editor’s History tab, with individual version deletion and a steadily improving interface.
In performance optimization news: Unique-field validation queries are 2500x faster — behold, the power of strategically deployed indexes!
We even merged a user-contributed feature: Travis Caruth of Redstone Content Solutions built on-demand SASS recompilation via URL parameter.
This is the iceberg’s tip. We’ve also added base64 UtilMethods, configurable default containers, security improvements via Tomcat upgrades, and more. But this space — ah! — it is limited.
Those who regularly scroll our release notes won’t be surprised; they get the scoop, along with the usual digressions on paraprosdokians, trident-related first aid, and API-based cosmologies — standard changelog fare. For others, this will hopefully help, we helpfully hope, to glimpse this parade of progress through all the tickertape. We don’t know where it’s all coming from; it’s knee deep and may pose a serious fire hazard.
Until next time, we’ll be queueing a research spike.
Our virtual event is next week
dotConnect25, hosted on October 1st at 1 p.m. EST
dotConnect25 is happening in just one week on October 1 at 1 pm EST!
Here’s a preview of what’s in store:
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Security insights from our leadership team, including a Trust Center demo
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AI-powered workflows that change how teams create and manage content
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Practical guidance for making your content AI-discoverable
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A closer look at innovations driving dotCMS forward
Register Now
Take Control of Your Content with the Block Editor
The Block Editor in dotCMS is not just a rich text editor. It’s a playground for content creators who crave flexibility with some structure and governance built in. Built on Tiptap, this clever interface treats paragraphs, images, code snippets, lists, and more as self-contained “blocks.” You can easily drag, drop, reorder, or transform them—making content feel less like a static page and more like a living mosaic of ideas.
More flexibility, more power. Check out the new Block Editor and take control of your content.
Inside the CMS Selection Process: Redstone’s Journey to dotCMS
New Real Talk, Real Trust Podcast Episode Out Now Featuring Will Cousin, Co-Present at Redstone Content Solutions
Redstone Co-President Will Cousin joins episode 11 to discuss the CMS selection process, when to go headless, the most important CMS features today, the role of security and AI, and why Redstone chose dotCMS as its primary platform after Oracle sunset its content management (OCM) cloud service.
Whether you’re a marketing leader, IT decision-maker, or enterprise innovator, this conversation gives you a real-world perspective on how to choose the right CMS, and why the right partner matters just as much as the platform.
You can watch the new episode now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Inside CMS Pricing Models & How to Avoid Hidden Costs When Replatforming
Make informed decisions for your next CMS project and protect your budget from unexpected expenses.
Read this article to how to evaluate, compare, and negotiate CMS contracts to ensure cost transparency, scalability, and the right features for your digital needs. Discover how CMS pricing models work, what drives their complexity, and how to avoid hidden costs when replatforming your website.
Set Up an AI-Powered Search For Your Site: A Comprehensive Guide
AI-Powered Search: think of it as a robot that speaks your language, understands your request, and searches through a neatly organized “rack” of information to instantly find what you need.
In this post, you’ll learn to build one of those AI-powered search bots using dotCMS and OpenAI. Make your website search natural and intuitive for your users with no advanced coding skills required.
dotCMS gives developers the flexibility to build the solution they need, while empowering content teams to create and manage the content that powers your business.
What do users have to say about dotCMS? Read our customer reviews.