Crafter CMS is an open-source, Git-backed content platform written in Java, used mostly where many editors need approvals and an audit trail. Teams hire a Crafter developer because few engineers know it: to extend an existing install, to build a decoupled frontend on its APIs, or to plan a move off it. We provide that person, alone or inside a team.
What a Crafter CMS developer does for you
- Writes Java and Groovy extensions for workflows, authoring plugins and custom publishing steps.
- Builds Next.js or Astro delivery on the REST and GraphQL APIs, keeping the authoring side as is.
- Models content types and templates so editors keep in-context preview.
- Sets up publishing targets and the Git promotion path between environments.
- Handles version upgrades and search configuration.
- Plans exits to simpler platforms when the control no longer justifies the upkeep.
What we vet for
- Git as the content store. The candidate explains what a publish does in the repository and how to recover from a bad one.
- Environment promotion. Authoring, staging and delivery tiers behave differently from a database CMS, and we ask how they have moved changes between them.
- Java extension practice. Can they test and deploy a plugin without touching the core installation.
- Search and indexing. OpenSearch setup and reindexing after content model changes are common sources of trouble.
- Preview in a decoupled build. Keeping editors’ in-context preview when delivery moves to another frontend.
Who tends to need this
Crafter shows up in universities, health systems, public bodies and large publishers, where approvals and an audit trail matter more than a plugin store. The practical problem is thin supply. Few engineers know the platform, so teams lose a person and lose the knowledge with them. A contracted developer who documents the deployment as they go reduces that risk.
The first weeks
First comes a map of the deployment: tiers, repositories, custom plugins and who owns what. A bounded fix or plugin update ships next. After that the developer takes on the bigger job, such as a decoupled frontend, an upgrade or a migration plan.
Engagement models
Take a dedicated developer, extend your team through IT staff augmentation, or use a dedicated team for a larger programme. Scoped projects, such as a migration, are priced after a short audit.
When you need more than a developer
Our Crafter CMS services page covers platform fit and the Git model. If the platform costs more to own than it returns, we move content to Drupal for larger Java and enterprise shops, or to Payload for Node.js teams, through our migration services. Our headless CMS development page shows how we choose, and hire headless CMS developers lists other platforms.
