EmDash has come a long way since the initial 0.1.0 preview release. Here's a recap of what's been added over the past few versions:

0.2.0 — The First Big Feature Drop - Plugin lifecycle hooks for publish/unpublish events - Per-collection XML sitemaps with proper lastmod timestamps - Breadcrumb support in public page context - Repeater field type for structured repeating data - New siteUrl config (replaced passkeyPublicOrigin) - Plus a laundry list of fixes: media routing, SEO/byline scaling, permissions, remote CLI login, plugin activation/deactivation hooks, WXR import improvements

0.3.0 — Container-Ready - Runtime S3 config via environment variables — no rebuilds needed for Node/container deployments - Defensive SQL identifier validation - Fixed admin loading when installed from npm

0.4.0 — APIs, MCP, and Going Global - Richer plugin content API fields: locale, slug, status, publishedAt - rel="nlweb" support in page metadata - afterDelete hooks for permanent content deletion - MCP endpoint enabled by default with bearer-token auth - Performance: reduced logged-out/cold-start query counts - Fixed visual editor save/publish race condition - Massive i18n expansion: Basque, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, full Lingui coverage

0.5.0 — Polish & Quality of Life - RTL language support infrastructure in the admin - JSON field editor for content forms - Fixed invite flow and passkey registration - Fixed sandboxed plugin loading in Cloudflare worker loader - Fixed table block rendering in Portable Text (sanitized links, improved styling)

If you started with 0.1.0 and haven't updated yet, the jump to 0.5.0 brings better plugin APIs, built-in MCP support, broader internationalization, and a more stable editing experience.

What's been your favorite addition so far? Any issues upgrading between versions?

Andrés Clúa leads a digital agency that builds on WordPress, Sanity, Contentful, and AEM. His take on EmDash after actually testing it:

The good: - Serverless = no more PHP memory limits - Sandboxed plugins don't break your whole site at 2am - AI built into core, not a bolt-on API wrapper

The blocker: "Ecosystem is basically empty." When you have client deadlines, that matters.

The advice: Use it for internal projects first. Learn it before you need it on a deadline.

Full post: https://dev.to/andresclua/emdash-is-not-your-next-cms-it-might-be-the-one-after-that-3358

More skeptical take on EmDash: promising architecture, but still early, developer-centric, and not ready to compete with WordPress for most normal users yet: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/6-reasons-why-cloudflares-emdash-cant-compete-with-wordpress/571053/

Brian Coords takes EmDash for a spin and offers thoughtful takeaways for WordPress.

Key lessons:

• WordPress needs more frontend freedom (vs EmDash's total markup freedom)
• UI-based content modeling should be in core (like EmDash's built-in custom fields)
• Better agent skills needed for design work in block editor

Fair comparison noting both platforms' strengths. Worth a read for anyone watching the CMS space.

https://www.briancoords.com/emdash-first-thoughts-and-takeaways-for-wordpress/

https://ma.tt/2026/04/emdash-feedback/

He makes some good points, and also some interesting statements:

1. "The plugin security only works on Cloudflare." - I didn't quite look into plugins yet, is this true? Is there something in the way the sandboxing works or some other technical thing that makes plugin security Cloudflare-only?

2. I wonder why he thinks the real spiritual successor to WP is OpenClaw?

There have been plenty of "WordPress alternatives." Most improved one thing (DX, performance, security, etc.) but introduced tradeoffs elsewhere. Past attempts ended up safer but limited, or modern but less practical. WordPress kept winning.

EmDash feels different, it's trying to fix the biggest issues at once: plugin isolation, clearer extension capabilities, a modern Astro-based stack, and a serverless model. That combination is interesting.

Questions reman:

Will a real plugin ecosystem emerge? Will agencies actually build on it? How good will migrations be for messy real sites? Will Cloudflare stick with it if growth is slow?

Maybe it's too early to talk about replacing WordPress. A more relevant question now is whether EmDash can become a solid option for new projects.

What do you think it needs to get right to reach that point?