CKEditor 5: The ultimate rich-text editor for web applications

CKEditor 5 is a highly versatile and modern rich-text editor. It has grown to become a go-to solution for developers and businesses seeking the best in text-editing features for their web applications.

Its newest version, 5, provides a modular architecture, and a high level of possible configurations. It allows for an editing experience unlike any other. It is full of free and premium features that allow users to be very flexible depending on the application’s needs.

What is CKEditor 5?

CKEditor 5 is a modern text-editing platform with a plugin-based modular design that allows for smaller package sizes while still allowing more bulky editor options. It is a wonderful tool for content management systems or any application. Its end date is an HTML string that is easy to store and can be swapped directly with the native textarea feature, which does not require any back-end work, simplifying the whole process.

It has a great user-friendly, intuitive interface allowing for fast and easy work.

CKEditor 5 Builder

CKEditor 5 Builder is a powerful utility that allows developers to customize and build their version of CKEditor 5. It offers some ready-to-use configurations for different project requirements, thus ensuring seamless integration in projects. On the CKEditor website on our user page, one can simply click their way to a working CKEditor demo. That demo can be almost entirely copied and pasted into any application. Currently, they support Vanilla JS, React, and Vue. But if one chooses to CKEditor provides hosting options for users with less developer experience.

There are a few options of different editors we can use. Each editor can have the same editing options but they are different in delivering it. Here is how they differ:

Classic Editor

Classic toolbar-centered editor, useful for document editing. It has the default option of sticking the toolbar at the very top if you scroll down, similar to how word editing works. Ideal for long documents with ritch formatting  options

Inline Editor

The toolbar appears when the user clicks it in the editable area. The rest of the page remains unaffected. Perfect for integrating into a webpage seamlessly as it requires minimal interface in the surrounding area.

Ballon Editor

The toolbar is presented as a floating balloon above the selected text. Ideal for quick and focused editing, particularly for short-form content or inline editing.

Balloon Block Editor

Combines the inline and block editing experience, showing the toolbar near blocks or elements rather than inline text. Suitable for content editing with a focus on structured documents or specific block-level elements.

Decoupled Editor

The editing area and toolbar are completely separate, allowing for advanced customizations and placements. Designed for complete control over editor interface and layout.

Table of features available in different editors

Customization in the Builder

The builder offers a modular approach, allowing developers to include or exclude features based on specific project needs. Key aspects include:

• The builder lets you choose from an extensive library of plugins, such as tables, media embeds, mentions, collaboration tools, and custom plugins.

• Without the features you don’t need, your editor will be lightweight and efficient.

Developers can create a custom version of the CKEditor 5 in an online builder by manually choosing plugins and configurations within the UI. Once your requirements are selected, this tool compiles a ‘custom’ JavaScript file containing dependencies that can be quickly and easily integrated into your project.

Advanced Features in the CKEditor 5 Builder

The builder for CKEditor 5 also supports more advanced features to enhance functionality and user experience. Important to remember is that advanced does not mean behind a paywall. Most of the features listed can be used for free which is one of the reasons for CKEditor 5 Popularity:

1. Multi-language support: Add language packs or translations. It is crucial for multilanguage applications and its implementation is a simple language pack that more than likely is already implemented by the CKEditor community.
2. Custom toolbar configurations: Configure the arrangement and grouping of toolbar buttons to match your application’s workflow. You can freely adjust the order and what features to show your user. It can even be tailored to use different setups depending on your needs.
3. Custom output: Tailor the HTML output to specific formatting rules or integration requirements using schema configuration. It can be crucial for developers to use specific outputs of an editor to seamlessly connect with the whole application. CKEditor supports XML or JSON as outputs other than standard HTML which allows for specified usage in not only websites but also in mobile applications and various API’s.
4. CKEditor supports WCAG 2.1 guidelines and has built-in screen reader support and keyboard navigation. Advanced Accessibility allows for all users to enjoy the editor without adding development time.
5. CKEditor has XSS protection and sanitizes content to prevent unwanted server attacks.

Advantages of Using CKEditor 5

Improved User Experience

CKEditor 5 has a refined, intuitive interface that simplifies text editing tasks. Comparing CKEditor 5 to its previous version the interface is much more simple and easier to use while not sacrificing core functionality but enhancing it even further.

Customizable workflow

The modular architecture of the editor means developers can customize it to meet particular project needs. It offers a lot of free plugins essential for a good content management system while adding a lot of premium features that are nice to have in more complex situations.

Ease of integration

CKEditor 5’s well-documented API makes it straightforward to integrate with any web application. Its builder gives developers ready-to-use snippets of code, The most important config variable can be copied and pasted from the builder for the CKEditor instance exactly like the one shown in the builder.

Licensing: GPL vs. GPL 2+

CKEditor 5 is released under the dual-licensing scheme to meet different requirements:

GPL – General Public License

One of the restrictions of GPL is that if modifications are distributed, they need to be open-sourced with the same licensing type.

It is ideal for free and open-source projects where transparency and sharing of code are priorities. For self-hosting we can use the license key “GPL” for free CKEditor experience but if we want to use CKEditor’s hosting services we will be capped at 1000 editor loads a month. Either way, it is a great way to test a given application in a staged or developer environment.

GPL 2+

GPL 2+ is an updated version, introducing compatibility with other free and open-source licenses such as the LGPL and AGPL. CKEditor started using this license from version 5.

It gives developers more flexibility when integrating CKEditor 5 with other open-source software as it allows for forward compatibility.  

CKEditor Commercial Licensing

For businesses that do not want to disclose their proprietary code, CKEditor 5 provides commercial licenses. With this license:

• The possibility to use CKEditor 5 in closed-source projects.
• Priority support and access to premium features.
• Compliance with legal requirements for proprietary software.
• Additional Features Worth Highlighting
• Collaboration Tools

Summary

CKEditor 5 is an excellent choice to work with due to its builder, user-friendly interface, and strong HTML handling. Whether it is for a blog, enterprise-level CMS, or collaborative editing platform, CKEditor 5 has the tools to meet your needs. The licensing options are flexible enough for both open-source enthusiasts and businesses. You can leverage the power of CKEditor 5 to create a seamless and powerful text-editing experience for your users.