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5. bymayo/content-freeze

ActiveCraft-plugin[Utility & Helpers](/categories/utility)

bymayo/content-freeze
=====================

Allows a content freeze in the CMS

2.0.0(3w ago)236mitPHPPHP >=8.2CI passing

Since Jul 15Pushed 3w ago1 watchersCompare

[ Source](https://github.com/bymayo/craft-content-freeze)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/bymayo/content-freeze)[ RSS](/packages/bymayo-content-freeze/feed)WikiDiscussions craft-5 Synced today

READMEChangelog (5)Dependencies (4)Versions (8)Used By (0)

[![](https://github.com/bymayo/craft-content-freeze/raw/craft-5/resources/icon.png)](https://github.com/bymayo/craft-content-freeze/blob/craft-5/resources/icon.png)

Content Freeze for Craft CMS 5
==============================

[](#content-freeze-for-craft-cms-5)

Content Freeze lets you temporarily pause content editing in the Craft control panel, so nothing changes in the CMS whilst you carry out work like moving hosting, migrating between environments, running a major update, or locking down ahead of a launch - all times when a stray edit could clash with your changes or be lost.

Schedule a freeze (now or for in the future) and the plugin moves the affected user groups into a view-only copy of their group, then restores them automatically when it lifts. Warn editors with a notice bar and pane, email them as it's scheduled, starts and ends, and optionally back up the database when it begins.

[![](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bymayo/craft-content-freeze/craft-5/resources/screenshot.png)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bymayo/craft-content-freeze/craft-5/resources/screenshot.png)

Contents
--------

[](#contents)

- [Features](#features)
- [Install](#install)
- [Requirements](#requirements)
- [Setup](#setup)
- [Permissions](#permissions)
- [Console commands](#console-commands)
- [Backups](#backups)
- [Email notifications](#email-notifications)
- [Front-end templating](#front-end-templating)
- [Supported Plugins](#supported-plugins)
    - [Adding support for other plugins](#adding-support-for-other-plugins)
- [Caveats](#caveats)
- [Support](#support)

Features
--------

[](#features)

- **Multiple freezes** - Create as many as you need, each with its own optional schedule (date from/to)
- **Scheduling** - Freezes activate and lift automatically at their start/end times
- **Dashboard widget** - Lists active and upcoming freezes
- **Notice bar** - Show a bar at the top of the CMS while a freeze is active
- **Notice pane** - Show a full-screen notice when users log in during a freeze
- **Custom notices** - Set plugin-wide defaults, and optionally override the bar/pane per freeze
- **Database backups** - Optionally queue a backup when a freeze becomes active
- **Email notifications** - Optionally email affected users when a freeze is scheduled, becomes active and ends
- **Front-end variable** - Block front-end actions while frozen with the `craft.contentFreeze` Twig variable
- **Permissions** - Control access with the Access Content Freeze permission
- **Console commands** - Trigger (enable) or lift (disable) freezes from the command line by ID

Install
-------

[](#install)

- Install with Composer via `composer require bymayo/content-freeze` from your project directory
- Enable / Install the plugin in the Craft Control Panel under `Settings > Plugins`
- Follow the [Setup](#setup) instructions below

You can also install the plugin via the Plugin Store in the Craft Admin CP by searching for `Content Freeze`.

Requirements
------------

[](#requirements)

- Craft CMS 5.x
- PHP 8.2
- MySQL (No PostgreSQL support)

Setup
-----

[](#setup)

While a freeze is in effect, the plugin moves your editors into a view-only user group, then moves them back when it lifts.

1. Sort your content editors into user groups.
2. Go to Content Freeze in the CP nav and click New freeze.
3. Use the Clone button to make a view-only copy of a group (you'll be prompted to name it).
4. For each group, choose a Move Users To group and toggle Enabled (skip groups that don't need CP access, e.g. Customers).
5. Set the freeze's Enabled toggle, and optionally a Date From / Date To - leave either blank for an open-ended start or end.
6. Optionally override the notice bar/pane for this freeze under Notices.

Plugin-wide settings are edited under Settings → Plugins → Content Freeze. To set them in code instead, copy the plugin's `src/config.php` to `config/content-freeze.php`.

Permissions
-----------

[](#permissions)

Access to the Content Freeze section is controlled by the Access Content Freeze permission (under Settings → Users → \[group/user\] → Permissions). Admins always have access.

Two actions require additional Craft permissions, so a non-admin can't use the plugin to grant other users access they don't already control:

- Cloning a view-only group requires the Manage user groups permission.
- Choosing a Move Users To target requires permission to assign users to that group - only groups you're allowed to assign appear in the dropdown. (Moving users into a group grants them that group's permissions, so this prevents privilege escalation.)

Console commands
----------------

[](#console-commands)

```
# Reconcile the freeze state for the current time (use on a cron - see below)
php craft content-freeze/run

# List every freeze with its id, status and window
php craft content-freeze/freezes/list

# Trigger (enable) a freeze by id, applied immediately
php craft content-freeze/freezes/enable

# Lift (disable) a freeze by id, applied immediately
php craft content-freeze/freezes/disable

```

Freezes are applied on every CP request, but for scheduled freezes to activate/lift precisely at their start/end times - even when nobody is in the control panel - run the reconcile command on a schedule:

```
* * * * * php craft content-freeze/run
* * * * * php craft queue/run

```

The `queue/run` line ensures the queued user moves actually execute (Craft also runs the queue automatically on web requests).

Backups
-------

[](#backups)

Enable Back Up Database on Freeze (under Settings → Plugins → Content Freeze, or `backupOnFreeze` in `config.php`) to queue a database backup when a freeze becomes active. Saved to `storage/backups`; database only (not files).

Email notifications
-------------------

[](#email-notifications)

Turn on Notify Users by Email on a freeze to email the affected users (in the frozen groups, with CP access) when it's scheduled, when it starts, and when it ends.

Edit the wording under Utilities → System Messages (`{{ name }}`, `{{ description }}`, `{{ dateFrom }}`, `{{ dateTo }}` and `{{ user }}` are available).

Front-end templating
--------------------

[](#front-end-templating)

A `craft.contentFreeze` Twig variable is available in your front-end templates, so you can react to a freeze being in effect - for example hiding a form, disabling add-to-cart, or showing a message. It's time-based, so it's accurate without any control-panel activity.

Is a freeze currently in effect?

```
{% if craft.contentFreeze.enabled %}
    Editing is paused while a content freeze is in effect.
{% endif %}
```

Hide a form / block an action while frozen:

```
{% if not craft.contentFreeze.enabled %}

        {# ...contact form, comment form, etc. #}

{% else %}
    Submissions are temporarily paused.
{% endif %}
```

Stop purchases (Commerce):

```
{% if craft.contentFreeze.enabled %}
    Checkout unavailable during freeze
{% else %}
    Checkout
{% endif %}
```

Show the freeze window / details:

```
{% set range = craft.contentFreeze.dateRange %}
{% if craft.contentFreeze.enabled %}
    {% if range.from %}Frozen from {{ range.from|datetime('short') }}{% endif %}
    {% if range.to %}Editing resumes {{ range.to|datetime('short') }}{% endif %}
{% endif %}

{# Loop the active freezes for names/dates #}
{% for freeze in craft.contentFreeze.freezes %}
    {{ freeze.name }}{% if freeze.dateTo %} - until {{ freeze.dateTo|datetime('short') }}{% endif %}
{% endfor %}
```

Available on `craft.contentFreeze`:

Property/methodReturnsNotes`craft.contentFreeze.enabled``bool`True if any freeze is in effect right now`craft.contentFreeze.freezes``Freeze[]`The freezes currently in effect (see below)`craft.contentFreeze.dateRange.from``DateTime` or `null`Earliest start across active freezes`craft.contentFreeze.dateRange.to``DateTime` or `null`Latest end across active freezesEach freeze in `.freezes` exposes:

PropertyReturnsNotes`freeze.name``string`The freeze name`freeze.description``string`The freeze description (may be empty)`freeze.dateFrom``DateTime` or `null`Start date, or `null` if open-ended`freeze.dateTo``DateTime` or `null`End date, or `null` if open-ended`freeze.enabled``bool`Whether the freeze is enabled`freeze.status``string``active`, `scheduled`, `ended` or `disabled``freeze.startsIn``string` or `null`Human-readable countdown to start (scheduled freezes)`freeze.endsIn``string` or `null`Human-readable countdown to end (active freezes)Supported Plugins
-----------------

[](#supported-plugins)

When cloning a view-only group, these plugins' view/read/access permissions are kept (anything that can edit is dropped):

- Craft Commerce
    - `accessplugin-commerce`
    - `commerce-manageorders`
- Solspace Freeform
    - `accessplugin-freeform`
    - `freeform-formsaccess`
    - `freeform-submissionsaccess`
    - `freeform-submissionsread`
    - `freeform-notificationsaccess`
- Verbb Formie
    - `accessplugin-formie`
    - `formie-accessforms`
    - `formie-accesssubmissions`
    - `formie-accesssentnotifications`
- Verbb Comments
    - `accessplugin-comments`
- nystudio107 SEOmatic
    - `accessplugin-seomatic`
    - `seomatic:dashboard`
- Verbb Navigation
    - `accessplugin-navigation`

### Adding support for other plugins

[](#adding-support-for-other-plugins)

Any plugin's view/read/access permissions can be preserved by adding their handles to the `viewOnlyKeepPermissions` array in `config/content-freeze.php` (lowercase). You can find the exact handles under Settings → Users → \[group\] → Permissions. For example:

```
'viewOnlyKeepPermissions' => [
    'accessplugin-myplugin',
    'myplugin-viewsomething',
],
```

Caveats
-------

[](#caveats)

- **Admins aren't restricted.** Craft's admin flag grants full access regardless of user group, so admins can still edit during a freeze. Make sure anyone who edits content is in a user group, not just flagged as an admin.
- **User groups are required.** Freezing works by swapping users between groups, so your editors need to be organised into user groups.
- **The view-only clone is a snapshot.** Clone copies a group's view permissions as they are at that moment - if you change the original group's permissions later, re-clone to pick them up.
- **One target group per source.** A "Move Users To" group can only belong to one source group, so give each frozen group its own view-only group.
- **Scheduling needs cron for exact timing.** Without `content-freeze/run` on a cron, scheduled freezes activate and lift on the next control-panel request rather than precisely on time.
- **User moves run on the queue.** Make sure your queue is running, or there may be a delay before users are actually moved when a freeze starts or ends.

Support
-------

[](#support)

If you have any issues (Surely not!) then I'll aim to reply to these as soon as possible. If it's a site-breaking-oh-no-what-has-happened moment, then hit me up on the Craft CMS Discord - @bymayo

###  Health Score

44

↑

FairBetter than 90% of packages

Maintenance95

Actively maintained with recent releases

Popularity10

Limited adoption so far

Community7

Small or concentrated contributor base

Maturity54

Maturing project, gaining track record

 Bus Factor1

Top contributor holds 100% of commits — single point of failure

How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window.

**Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores.

**Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement.

**Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability.

###  Release Activity

Cadence

Every ~83 days

Total

5

Last Release

23d ago

Major Versions

1.0.3 → 2.0.02026-06-11

### Community

Maintainers

![](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/522877?v=4)[Jason Mayo](/maintainers/bymayo)[@bymayo](https://github.com/bymayo)

---

Top Contributors

[![bymayo](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/522877?v=4)](https://github.com/bymayo "bymayo (27 commits)")

### Embed Badge

![Health badge](/badges/bymayo-content-freeze/health.svg)

```
[![Health](https://phpackages.com/badges/bymayo-content-freeze/health.svg)](https://phpackages.com/packages/bymayo-content-freeze)
```

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