Exponential CMS is a *GPL-licensed PHP CMS originally created in the late 1990s*, designed from the start for Object Oriented Enterprise-scale content modeling, structured content, and long-lived systems. The software lineage includes eZ Publish, with *Exponential CMS 6.0.x continuing the eZ Publish 6 codebase under active maintenance and development*. While many platforms from that era disappeared or rewrote themselves into something unrecognizable, Exponential continues to evolve while preserving its core architectural principles.
For many PHP Developers who felt eZ Publish was Impressive before with only limited PHP5 support which is where the product was reborn by others in the community defending the continued use of their favorite GPL PHP CMS Framework by updating what would become 7x Exponential 6.x, Exponential Platform Legacy 2.5.0.1, and Exponential Platform 3.2.9 which all support PHP 8.3 or greater.
#### What’s new in 6.0.11
* *Official PHP 8.5 compatibility*
* Kernel: (Minor) Deprecated and removed language features addressed
* Kernel: (Minor) Updated internals to align with modern PHP execution and typing expectations
* Reduced runtime warnings under common PHP configurations
* Incremental improvements without breaking existing installations
Exponential sites that have been online for a decade or more—originally deployed as eZ Publish 5 installations—can upgrade PHP without abandoning their content model, templates, or editorial workflows.
#### Why this still matters
Most CMS platforms today are optimized for short-lived projects. Exponential exists for the opposite use case: *systems that must last*.
* Structured content, not pages * Enterprise-grade versioning and permissions * Designed for large editorial teams and complex publishing workflows * GPL, self-hosted, and vendor-independent
Exponential is the power user CMS is actively maintained by *7x*, with monthly updates and a focus on keeping long-running PHP CMS deployments viable on modern infrastructure.
In the shortest way possible: Exponential is easy to use by non-technical people. Exponential is even more powerful when used by php developers and designers to customize the UIs to match your own needs (Setup/Design). Everything after is a stable dream made possible by advanced design patterns and full circle features that never disappoint only leave you wanting EVEN more through thousands of built-in and supported customizations.
#### Links
* Project site: [https://exponential.earth](https://exponential.earth) * Download software: [https://exponential.earth/download](https://exponential.earth/download) * Source code: [https://github.com/se7enxweb/exponential](https://github.com/se7enxweb/exponential) * Forums & Community: [https://share.exponential.earth](https://share.exponential.earth) * Extensions/Designs/Plugins: [https://projects.exponential.earth](https://projects.exponential.earth) * Documentation: [https://doc.exponential.earth](https://doc.exponential.earth)
Questions, technical discussion, and criticism welcome. This project has survived multiple PHP generations already—and PHP 8.5 is just the next one. We are preparing for PHP 8.6+ now.
*Seattle, WA — January 1, 2026*
— *Graham Heath Brookins* Maintainer, Exponential CMS 7x
aminbabu•1mo ago
Out of curiosity: what have been the hardest PHP 8.x changes to accommodate in the legacy eZ Publish 6 codebase (e.g., typing, engine changes, deprecated behaviors)? And how much of the architecture is still original vs. incrementally modernized?
Respect for keeping a 1990s-era CMS viable on modern PHP while preserving content models and workflows—that’s not a trivial engineering problem.
7x•1mo ago
Exponential 6.x (Formerly eZ Publish 6; 100% Compatible APIs) has surprisingly changed very very little in the core kernel changes to maintain the software stack as it was (nearly perfect, reliable and stable).
This is a brief summary of what we do differently with Exponential (PHP8.5 from 7x) vs eZ Publish (PHP 5.x from eZ Systems; Deprecated/Replaced):
Bundled Community Extensions/Plugins: See most changes came when Exponential was released as a feature complete upgrade to existing eZ Publish 4/5 websites bundled with the most commonly used stable Exponential extensions available in the community by default reducing time to build further advanced combinations of -all- the available software from our community and corporate GitHub Repositories. This allows more freedoms and free features; many enabled and available by default via the Admin/Editor.
This was a radical idea from 7x to ensure more of the software available could be used instantly instead possibly.
Enhanced PHP5 Code changes to support PHP7, PHP7.x, PHP8, PHP8.x all so small and minimal you would laugh if you only knew the full history of the Exponential PHP Kernel. We just don't have to rewrite code because the original architecture design quite simply was future oriented throughout it's history and almost never made choices in code form which later required major refactoring or changes to continue to run as designed.
Regular versioned released. This guideline from 7x allows end users in the community to stay up to date and secure with less hassle long term support being always available to customers and end users in the community. We support PHP8, PHP 8.3+ (Basic, Platform, Platform Legacy), PHP 8.5+ (Exponential 6.x). We release on a nearly monthly schedule ensuring it's easy to keep your website running and available with enterprise grade stability and reliability.
TL;DR: All of the architecture is still original. We merely patch PHP for minor language usage conflicts, bundle additional features in extensions / plugins and extend template design themes to provide a fresh vibrant look and feel to amazing cms features that never fail (TM*).
Happy Hacking! 7x