Documentation

Element Node is a Next.js app with a MySQL database: it runs anywhere Node 20+ runs. The guided installer does everything — dependencies, database, first admin user — but a manual install is five commands.

On first login you'll find a pre-populated sample site: explore the editor on real content and delete it when you start your own project.

• Requirements: Node 20+, MySQL/MariaDB, 1 GB RAM
• AI is optional: without an Anthropic API key the CMS is fully functional, just without the assistant
• On Plesk, see the "Plesk deploy" section below for Passenger and the standalone build

With an active license the CMS checks for new versions on its own and flags them in the panel (Settings → API). The update starts with one click and runs in the background: you can follow every step from the panel, full log included.

Before touching anything, a compressed database backup is saved (we keep the last 3 copies in tmp/). The running version stays active until the new build completes: if anything fails, the site keeps running on the previous version.

• Uploads, .env and deploy files are never touched by the updater
• The database schema is migrated automatically, with no destructive drops
• When the update finishes, the panel reloads itself on the new version

The cookie banner is built into the CMS: enable it in Settings → Privacy, it inherits your theme colors (with optional overrides) and supports per-language copy — under /en the English variants appear automatically.

Third-party content (maps, videos, iframes) can be gated behind consent: the HTML widget has a "require consent" option that shows a placeholder with a load button until the visitor accepts. No external requests before the yes.

• Choice remembered on the device, revocable at any time
• Separate links to privacy policy and cookie policy
• No external script: the banner is part of the site's rendering

In Settings → Site you pick the access mode: Public, Password protected or Maintenance. With a password, visitors get a customizable lock screen and browse the whole site after entering it; in maintenance, only logged-in admins see the real site.

While the site is not public the CMS automatically serves a blocking robots.txt and noindex meta tags: no accidental indexing of your staging. The unlock is verified server-side with a signed cookie lasting 7 days.

Forms designed in the editor automatically become managed entities: the Forms panel lists every form on the site with its submissions archive — sender, fields, date, source page. Submissions are saved before the email is sent, so nothing is ever lost.

The email provider is configured in integrations: classic SMTP or Brevo. Every form supports a privacy consent checkbox linking to your policy, and an invisible spam honeypot discards bots without CAPTCHAs.

Each language's pages live under a prefix (e.g. /en) and theme blocks use display conditions: create the English header, give it the "URL prefix /en" condition with higher priority, and the CMS picks the right block for every page by itself.

The same mechanism works per page, homepage, role or device. There is no translation plugin: it's the standard rendering engine with one extra condition, so nothing can break on update.

Responsive behavior lives in the rendering engine: under 768px columns stack in layout order, headings scale fluidly and sections adapt their padding. A site built for desktop is already readable on a phone with zero configuration.

• Custom mobile width per column (e.g. grids that stay 2×2)
• Hide on mobile / hide on desktop per column
• Images never escape their container

The catalog counts 51 widgets — 33 core and theme, plus 18 Pro — all described by a TypeScript schema: fields, defaults, categories. The editor generates property panels from the schema, and the single renderer draws them identically in the editor and on the public site.

Adding a widget means declaring its schema and writing its render function: no duplicated markup between editor and frontend.

// widgets-schema.ts (excerpt)
counter: {
  label: 'Counter',
  category: 'pro',
  fields: {
    end: { type: 'number', default: 100 },
    suffix: { type: 'text', default: '+' },
    accentColor: { type: 'color', default: '' },
  },
}

The editor is sections and columns: each section has a single flexible container, columns have percentage widths and wrap automatically when a row exceeds 100%. Drag widgets from the sidebar, edit properties in the contextual panel.

Every save creates a revision; undo survives refreshes. Pages have draft/published states and per-page SEO (title, description, social image).

The AI assistant generates and edits real site sections: describe what you want and get actual widgets, not HTML to paste. Model and system prompt are configured from the panel.

The API key is yours (Anthropic) and so are the costs — typically a few euros a month: no markup from us on AI, available on every plan including Free.

• Generate the key at console.anthropic.com → Settings → API Keys → "Create key" (an active payment method on your Anthropic account is required)
• In the CMS, paste it in Settings → Integrations → "AI Anthropic (Claude)" card and save
• From that moment the editor AI chat and one-click SEO are active; until the key is set, the chat stays locked with on-screen instructions

Four roles with decreasing permissions: Admin (everything, including settings and updates), Editor (content and theme), Author (own pages), Viewer (read-only). Authentication is NextAuth v5 with JWT sessions.

API keys for automation (site import/export via REST) are generated from the panel with granular scopes and can be revoked individually.

On Plesk the CMS runs with Phusion Passenger and Next.js's standalone build: app.js as entry point, environment variables in .env, restart via touch tmp/restart.txt. The installer detects Plesk and configures everything by itself.

It also works on any VPS with Node 20+ and a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy): npm run build and npm start.

Activate your license by pasting the key in Settings → API: the CMS validates it periodically and unlocks Pro widgets, one-click updates and support. Pro widgets outside your plan stay visible and editable in the editor with a notice, but are not rendered on the public site until you activate the right plan.

The Agency plan includes 100 client keys: from the customer area on elementnode.cloud you generate a labeled key for each site, individually revocable, with a single invoice.

• Free: 33 core widgets, forever
• Essential: 38 widgets (33 core + 5 Pro), updates, pre-update backup and the AI skill
• Advanced/Expert/Agency: all 51 widgets, API keys and unlimited users

The import tool reads a WordPress export and recreates pages, media and users as native entities. Content arrives as editable sections in the editor, not as frozen HTML.

For assisted migrations (complex sites, WooCommerce, multilingual) reach out via the contact form: we'll do it with you.