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Migrate from Concrete5 to Gatsby

Complete guide to migrating your Concrete5 website to Gatsby. Leave Concrete5's very small ecosystem compared to other php cms options behind and get rich plugin ecosystem for data sources (cms, apis, databases). Free migration tool included.

20-40 minutes
Medium
100% Free
Start Free Migration

TL;DR

You can migrate from Concrete5 to Gatsby for free using LeaveWP. Enter your site URL, choose Gatsby as the destination, and download your content — posts, pages, and media — in minutes. No API keys, passwords, or CLI tools required. Difficulty: Medium. Estimated time: 20-40 minutes.

Official docs: Gatsby Documentation

Why Teams Leave Concrete5

In-context editing CMS for marketers. Marketing teams who want to edit pages visually without developer help, but these limitations push teams toward modern alternatives.

Very small ecosystem compared to other PHP CMS options

This is the most common reason teams migrate away from Concrete5. Gatsby eliminates this issue entirely.

Performance is poor without server-side caching

With Gatsby, rich plugin ecosystem for data sources (cms, apis, databases).

Limited developer documentation and community support

Modern architectures like Gatsby are designed to avoid this from the ground up.

Fewer modern integrations and headless capabilities

After migrating, you'll no longer need to worry about this — Gatsby takes a fundamentally different approach.

What Gatsby Brings to the Table

React-based SSG with GraphQL data layer. Built with JavaScript/TypeScript (React), it's content-rich sites pulling data from multiple sources via graphql.

Rich plugin ecosystem for data sources (CMS, APIs, databases)

Unified GraphQL data layer pulls from any source

Excellent image optimization with gatsby-plugin-image

Pre-renders pages for fast initial load and good SEO

Gatsby is open-source and free to use. You own your code and data with no vendor lock-in. Deploy to any host that supports JavaScript/TypeScript, or use managed platforms like Vercel and Netlify for zero-config deployments.

Concrete5 vs Gatsby at a Glance

Side-by-side comparison based on real platform characteristics

MetricConcrete5Gatsby
Ease of Use⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
Performance⭐⭐ 2/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Flexibility⭐⭐⭐ 3/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Cost⭐⭐⭐ 3/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Scalability⭐⭐ 2/5⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
Ecosystem⭐⭐ 2/5⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
LanguagePHPJavaScript/TypeScript (React)
PricingFree (self-hosted)Free (open-source)
Open SourceYesYes

Ratings are based on publicly available data, documentation, and community consensus as of 2026. Individual experience may vary.

What Gets Migrated

A detailed breakdown of how your Concrete5 content maps to Gatsby

Content Types from Concrete5

  • pages
  • blocks
  • files
  • users
  • express objects

Technical Details

Export Method
Database export or REST API
Source Language
PHP
Destination Format
Markdown/MDX files with frontmatter, organized by content type
URL Handling
301 redirect map generated automatically to preserve SEO equity

What may need manual attention

Custom server-side logic, third-party integrations, and platform-specific plugins will need equivalent solutions in Gatsby. The core content (text, images, metadata) transfers cleanly.

How It Works

Migrate your content in three simple steps

1

Connect

Enter your Concrete5 site URL — LeaveWP connects automatically.

2

Configure

Select Gatsby as destination and choose content options.

3

Export

Download your migrated content or preview it in your browser.

Is Concrete5 to Gatsby the Right Move for You?

Migrating from Concrete5 to Gatsby makes the most sense if you're experiencing very small ecosystem compared to other php cms options or outgrowing Concrete5's architecture. Gatsby is best for content-rich sites pulling data from multiple sources via graphql.

You should migrate if: your Concrete5 site is slow, your hosting costs are climbing, you need developer flexibility, or you want to adopt a modern JAMstack architecture.

You might want to stay if: your Concrete5 site benefits from true in-page editing — edit content directly on the live page and you don't have JavaScript/TypeScript developers on your team. Concrete5 is genuinely easy to use, and that simplicity has value.

The migration itself is straightforward with LeaveWP — enter your Concrete5 URL, select Gatsby, and download your content. The more important question is whether Gatsby's architecture fits your team's skills and your project's long-term needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to migrate from Concrete5 to Gatsby?
Most migrations from Concrete5 complete in 20-40 minutes. We pull content via Concrete5's Database export, then structured for Gatsby. Complex sites with extensive custom fields may take longer.
Will I lose my SEO rankings when migrating from Concrete5?
No. We help you set up proper 301 redirects from your old Concrete5 URLs to preserve search rankings. Gatsby actually tends to improve Core Web Vitals scores, which can boost rankings over time.
What Concrete5 content can be migrated to Gatsby?
Concrete5 content types like pages, blocks, files, users are all migrated to Gatsby. Content is converted to Markdown/MDX files or structured for your chosen headless CMS.
Do I need JavaScript/TypeScript experience to migrate?
No coding experience is required for the migration itself — LeaveWP handles the export and conversion automatically. However, customizing your Gatsby site afterward will benefit from JavaScript/TypeScript (React) knowledge. For teams without that expertise, the generated code is well-structured and documented, making it approachable for developers of any level.
How much does it cost to host a Gatsby site after migrating from Concrete5?
Gatsby sites can be deployed to Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or any Node.js host — often on generous free tiers. static Gatsby sites can be hosted for free on Vercel or Netlify (up to generous bandwidth limits), which is significantly cheaper than running a PHP server.
Can I migrate Concrete5 custom fields and metadata to Gatsby?
Yes. Custom fields, metadata, and taxonomies from Concrete5 are preserved during migration. In Gatsby, these become frontmatter fields in your Markdown/MDX files, which you can extend or restructure to fit your content model.

Related Migration Guides

Explore more migration paths from Concrete5 or to Gatsby

Concrete5 to Gatsby Guides

In-depth guides and tutorials to help with your migration

Ready to Migrate?

Start your free migration from Concrete5 to Gatsby today.

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