Superdesk

Superdesk is an open-source, web-based digital newsroom system for creating, editing, curating, packaging, and distributing news content. It combines headless CMS capabilities with editorial workflow and planning features, designed to scale from small publishers to large news agencies.

Key Features

• End-to-end editorial workflow for news creation, production, curation, and distribution
• API-centric, modular architecture for integrating third-party and legacy newsroom systems
• Headless content management with structured content, templates, and metadata
• Content search and retrieval powered by a dedicated search engine
• Role-based access control with configurable permissions for teams and freelancers
• Multi-channel distribution workflows to reuse content across platforms

Use Cases

• Operating a digital newsroom for agencies, publishers, and corporate newsrooms
• Centralizing editorial production with consistent templates, metadata, and packaging
• Integrating newsroom content with external publishing pipelines and downstream systems

Limitations and Considerations

• Requires multiple supporting services (notably a search engine, database, and cache) and separate server/client components, which increases deployment complexity

Superdesk is a strong fit for organizations that need a professional newsroom workflow layered on top of a headless CMS. Its API-first approach and modular design make it well-suited to complex publishing environments and integration-heavy setups.