Corteza

What it is

Corteza is an open-source low-code platform for rapid application development, business process workflows and integration. Its release notes describe it as a "100% open-source low-code rapid application development, business process management and integration platform", and the homepage aims it at organizations "seeking enterprise-grade automation, flexibility, and innovation". The reader it fits is an IT team, a system integrator or a software vendor that wants to build internal applications and CRM-style systems on a code base it can inspect, run and modify itself. The project is owned and operated by the Commons Conservancy Foundation, which the homepage describes as a foundation established under the law of The Netherlands. Corteza was created by Planet Crust, which the site says continues to maintain and develop it, is its primary contributor, and offers support and development services around it.

What you build and how

The homepage describes the core loop plainly: create unlimited web applications and process workflows "using block-based tools and Javascript automations", then deploy applications and workflows instantly and iterate and redeploy as often as you want. The feature menu groups the platform into low-code app development, process workflows, an integration platform, a public library, CRM and case management. The CRM and case management entries are what place Corteza in the CRM builders category: it is a platform for building record-centric business systems rather than a fixed CRM product.

The data model is built around objects. The homepage says Corteza supports the majority of Salesforce Standard Objects and lists custom object creation and management, workflows and automation, and analytics and reporting as its enterprise automation capabilities. It is designed with Salesforce administrators and developers in mind, with similar build logic and a familiar user experience, and the homepage names a native integration with Salesforce Unified Search. The company says Corteza adapts to organizations of all sizes and industries, and that you can tailor workflows, data models and user experiences to your own business processes.

Data integration is a central theme. The homepage says Corteza can integrate with data from any machine-readable system or database, regardless of format, across and between instances, and can transform data into a standardized JSON format to create data models for apps and workflows or to federate it out. The 2022.9 release notes introduce the Data Access Layer, which extends Corteza to store and read data from primary and external databases. The release notes say the layer isolates code from the presentation and business layers, can pull data from different data stores such as database servers, flat files and web services, and keeps a consistent abstraction when moving to a different underlying database, giving PostgreSQL to MySQL as the example.

The same release introduced Corteza Privacy, which the notes say was sponsored by the EU. It lets you configure and describe where and how sensitive data is stored at the module-field level, and a Data Privacy Console lets users self-serve requests to remove, change or download their personal data. The release also added record revisions: a revision system field increments every time a record changes, every change is stored with an author and timestamp, revision history can be enabled per module, and a record revision history block shows the changes on record pages. Duplicate detection completes the data tools, with matching rules and duplicate rules for handling duplicates one at a time or across the organization and tracking progress in removing them. It works when creating or editing a record, on existing records and on imports, and duplicate sets and reports list what it finds. Permissions are role-based: the release notes say sets of permissions are tailored to each role, inherited by the users who fill it, and updated for all members when the role changes, with a new interface for reviewing users and combinations of roles.

Under the hood, the homepage says the back end is written in Golang and the front end in Vue.js, that Corteza uses W3C standards and formats wherever possible, that all Corteza components are accessible via a REST API, and that it is cloud-native and deploys via Docker containers. The homepage also offers Aire, an AI-powered data model builder meant to make building apps on Corteza faster; an Aire subscription lets you export config files and import them into your own instance of Corteza.

Running it yourself is the default path. The homepage invites you to download Corteza for free or try it online, "on-premise or in the cloud", and the menu links an install guide, documentation, a roadmap, release notes and a contribution guide. The homepage notes that the NGI Zero Discovery Fund funded work on Corteza Record Federation and is funding Corteza Discovery, with financial support from the European Commission's Next Generation Internet program.

What the company's pages state

License and ownership. The homepage says Corteza is "fully open source (Apache v2.0 license)" and that every piece of its code is published on GitHub. All Corteza code is contributed to the Commons Conservancy Software Foundation "so that access to Corteza can never be taken away from you." You may use, modify, distribute or sell Corteza or apps built with it under your own license and trademark for free, "with no obligation to publish your modified code."

Pricing. The software is free. The homepage frames Corteza as cost-effective because it removes the licensing cost of proprietary software and lets you redirect that budget. Paid help comes from Planet Crust as support and development services, and Aire is sold as a subscription.

Releases and community. The homepage shows the 2024.9.6 release, announced on November 14, 2025, and the 2024.9.5 release before it, so the project is still shipping updates. A community forum, a code of conduct, a diversity and social inclusion page and a board of directors page are linked from the footer.

Who it suits and who it doesn't

Corteza fits an internal development team or system integrator that wants to build business applications, CRM and case management systems on an open-source base it can host, inspect and extend. Teams with Salesforce experience will find the object model and build logic familiar, and organizations that want to own what they build can distribute or sell their Corteza apps under their own license and trademark. Its privacy console, record revisions and data access layer suit organizations that care about where personal data lives and how records change over time.

Corteza is a weaker match for a founder who wants a hosted, fully visual builder with nothing to install. The building blocks include JavaScript automations, a Golang and Vue.js code base and Docker deployment, which points at teams with some technical ability, and the site publishes no price list for managed hosting or support, which are arranged with Planet Crust.