diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c180073ef6..5bcde15e42 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,8 +2,12 @@
 
 ## UNRELEASED
 
-### Fixes
+### Adds
 
+* Modules can now have a `before: "module-name"` property in their configuration to run (initialization) before another module.
+
+### Fixes
+  
 * Modifies the `AposAreaMenu.vue` component to set the `disabled` attribute to `true` if the max number of widgets have been added in an area with `expanded: true`.
 
 ## 4.8.0 (2024-10-03)
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index c73031b515..e99ce6f9e6 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -582,9 +582,90 @@ async function apostrophe(options, telemetry, rootSpan) {
     return synth;
   }
 
+  // Reorder modules based on their `before` property.
+  function sortModules(moduleNames) {
+    const definitions = self.options.modules;
+    // The module names that have a `before` property
+    const beforeModules = [];
+    // The metadata quick access of all modules
+    const modules = {};
+    // Recursion guard
+    const recursionGuard = {};
+    // The sorted modules result
+    const sorted = [];
+
+    // The base module sort metadata
+    for (const name of moduleNames) {
+      if (definitions[name].before) {
+        beforeModules.push(name);
+      }
+      modules[name] = {
+        before: definitions[name].before,
+        beforeSelf: []
+      };
+    }
+
+    // Loop through the modules that have a `before` property,
+    // validate and fill the initial `beforeSelf` metadata (first pass).
+    for (const name of beforeModules) {
+      const m = modules[name];
+      const before = m.before;
+      if (m.before === name) {
+        throw new Error(`Module "${name}" has a 'before' property that references itself.`);
+      }
+      if (!modules[before]) {
+        throw new Error(`Module "${name}" has a 'before' property that references a non-existent module: "${before}".`);
+      }
+      // Add the current module name to the target's beforeSelf.
+      modules[before].beforeSelf.push(name);
+    }
+
+    // Loop through the modules that have a `before` properties
+    // now that we have the initial metadata (second pass).
+    // This takes care of edge cases like `before` that points to another module
+    // that has a `before` property itself, circular `before` references, etc.
+    // in a very predictable way.
+    for (const name of beforeModules) {
+      const m = modules[name];
+      const target = modules[m.before];
+      if (!target) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      // Add all the modules that want to be before this one to the target's beforeSelf.
+      // Do this recursively for every module from the beforeSelf array that has own `beforeSelf` members.
+      addBeforeSelfRecursive(name, m.beforeSelf, target.beforeSelf);
+    }
+
+    // Fill in the sorted array, first wins when uniquefy-ing.
+    for (const name of moduleNames) {
+      sorted.push(...modules[name].beforeSelf, name);
+    }
+
+    // A unique array of sorted module names.
+    return [ ...new Set(sorted) ];
+
+    function addBeforeSelfRecursive(moduleName, beforeSelf, target) {
+      if (beforeSelf.length === 0) {
+        return;
+      }
+      if (recursionGuard[moduleName]) {
+        return;
+      }
+      recursionGuard[moduleName] = true;
+
+      beforeSelf.forEach((name) => {
+        if (recursionGuard[name]) {
+          return;
+        }
+        target.unshift(name);
+        addBeforeSelfRecursive(name, modules[name].beforeSelf, target);
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
   async function instantiateModules() {
     self.modules = {};
-    for (const item of modulesToBeInstantiated()) {
+    for (const item of sortModules(modulesToBeInstantiated())) {
       // module registers itself in self.modules
       const module = await self.synth.create(item, { apos: self });
       await module.emit('moduleReady');
diff --git a/lib/moog.js b/lib/moog.js
index 0582303c95..710bdf3c39 100644
--- a/lib/moog.js
+++ b/lib/moog.js
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ module.exports = function(options) {
       'beforeSuperClass',
       'init',
       'afterAllSections',
+      'before',
       'extend',
       'improve',
       'methods',
diff --git a/test/modules-order.js b/test/modules-order.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..61f2c636f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/modules-order.js
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+const t = require('../test-lib/test.js');
+
+describe('Modules Order', function() {
+
+  let apos;
+
+  this.timeout(t.timeout);
+
+  after(async function () {
+    await t.destroy(apos);
+    apos = null;
+  });
+
+  it('should sort modules based on their "before" property', async function() {
+    apos = await t.create({
+      root: module,
+      modules: {
+        // Before third, but also before first and schema (recursion)
+        strange: {
+          before: 'third',
+          init() { }
+        },
+        // before schema
+        first: {
+          before: '@apostrophecms/schema',
+          init() { }
+        },
+        // before schema, but after first (keep order)
+        second: {
+          before: '@apostrophecms/schema',
+          init() { }
+        },
+        // before first, but also before schema (recursion)
+        third: {
+          before: 'first',
+          init() { }
+        },
+        // before @apostrophecms/image (`before` in a module definition)
+        'test-before': {},
+        usual: {
+          init() { }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+
+    const expected = [
+      'strange',
+      'third',
+      'first',
+      'second',
+      '@apostrophecms/schema',
+      'test-before',
+      '@apostrophecms/image',
+      'usual'
+    ];
+    const actual = Object.keys(apos.modules).filter(m => expected.includes(m));
+    assert.deepEqual(actual, expected, 'modules are not sorted as expected');
+
+    // We don't mess with the module owned context.
+    assert.strictEqual(apos.modules.first.before, undefined);
+
+    // Ensure we have the same number of modules when not reordering
+    const expectedModuleCount = apos.modules.length;
+    await t.destroy(apos);
+
+    apos = await t.create({
+      root: module,
+      modules: {
+        strange: {
+          init() { }
+        },
+        first: {
+          init() { }
+        },
+        second: {
+          init() { }
+        },
+        third: {
+          init() { }
+        },
+        'test-before': {
+          before: null
+        },
+        usual: {
+          init() { }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(apos.modules.length, expectedModuleCount, 'module count is not the same');
+
+    {
+      // ...and the natural order should be preserved
+      const expected = [
+        '@apostrophecms/schema',
+        '@apostrophecms/image',
+        'strange',
+        'first',
+        'second',
+        'third',
+        'test-before',
+        'usual'
+      ];
+      const actual = Object.keys(apos.modules).filter(m => expected.includes(m));
+      assert.deepEqual(actual, expected, 'modules are not matching the natural order');
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('should handle circular "before" references', async function () {
+    await t.destroy(apos);
+    apos = await t.create({
+      root: module,
+      modules: {
+        first: {
+          before: 'second',
+          init() { }
+        },
+        second: {
+          before: 'first',
+          init() { }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+
+    const expected = [
+      'second',
+      'first'
+    ];
+    const actual = Object.keys(apos.modules).filter(m => expected.includes(m));
+    assert.deepEqual(actual, expected, 'modules are not sorted as expected');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/modules/test-before/index.js b/test/modules/test-before/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dfd86c7b7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/modules/test-before/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+module.exports = {
+  before: '@apostrophecms/image',
+  init() {}
+};