January is rarely about fireworks. It is about clearing inboxes, finishing leftovers, and easing back into momentum. That same energy carried into the Concrete CMS January 2026 Town Hall, and honestly, that is not a bad thing. No core release this month, some thoughtful community contributions, a practical marketplace update, and a reminder that simple, well-designed websites still win.
A Light Start to 2026 (By Design)
There was no Concrete core release in January, largely due to the holiday season. A new release is planned for February. Even without a release, December saw strong activity across the project.
Thank you to everyone who contributed code, documentation, GitHub issues, and pull requests. Concrete keeps moving forward because the community keeps showing up, even during slower months.
Marketplace Spotlight: Practical AI Without the Hype
January introduced two new marketplace add-ons from De Webmakers, both focused on practical, editor-friendly AI features.
AI Integration
View AI Integration in the Marketplace
This add-on introduces AI-generated text directly where editors already work:
- Inside the Rich Text Editor for content blocks and other editor-driven areas
- Automatic generation of meta descriptions and keywords based on page content
Configuration happens through a dashboard page, including AI model selection. The system is intentionally pluggable, allowing additional AI models to be integrated over time.
AI Integration GPT-4 Turbo Extension
This free extension adds GPT-4 Turbo as an available model for the AI Integration add-on.
The key benefit is flexibility. Editors and site owners can start simple and expand AI capabilities without locking themselves into a single provider.
Site in the Wild
This month’s Site in the Wild highlighted the careers website from The Guardian, and it is a strong example of clarity over flash.
- No stock photography or generic slogans
- Clear explanations of why someone would want to work there
- Real employee voices with meaningful personal context
- Job listings that are descriptive and specific, not vague
The design is simple and intentional. It assumes readers are thoughtful and cautious, which sets it apart from many career sites that try too hard to impress.
Fun in the Forums: Helping People Get Unstuck
The forums segment focused on two real-world issues faced by Concrete users.
The first involved creating Express entries through code and understanding how method chaining affects how data is actually saved. A small difference in how methods are called can prevent attributes from being assigned correctly.
The second covered file storage locations and why files may continue uploading to local storage even after S3 is set as the default. Folder-level configuration and previously saved settings can override global defaults in subtle ways.
Both threads are a reminder that Concrete’s community is not just about answers. It is about explaining the why and helping people feel less alone when they hit a wall.
Wrapping Up January
January 2026 was intentionally quiet.
- No rushed releases
- Solid groundwork for February
- Practical AI tools entering the marketplace
- A reminder that clarity and restraint still matter
Thank you to everyone building, testing, documenting, and helping others along the way. See you next month.