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What is CMS and why does it facilitate website management?
Artur Kubiak
Artur Kubiak

CEO

What is CMS and why does it facilitate website management?

September 10, 2021 | Blog

Dark basement, liters of coffee, sleepless nights spent on a programming nightmare. If this is how you imagine website content management, then you are mistaken and this article will lead you out of it 🙂 You’ll also learn what CMS is, what are its types and what are the most popular, free solutions.

What is CMS and why do you need it?

CMS, or Content Management System (literally translated Content Management System) is a software that allows you to manage the content of a website for people without programming skills. As part of it, you can change the content of the page: add and edit entries, moderate comments, and in the case of more advanced services, manage users, the appearance of the page or the newsletter. In fact, the list of possible functions is limited only by the imagination and thickness of your wallet (or the number of zeros on your account).

The question whether CMS is necessary in managing the content of the website will be answered by PaweÅ‚ Pason, a programmer with several years of experience, cooperating with, among others with one of the largest hosting companies in Poland – Home.pl:

Looking from both the programmer’s and user’s perspective, CMS is necessary for frequent and quick updates of the content of articles and simple elements of pages (tables, photos, videos). The exception are static websites – “business cards”. Training the client in using the content management system relieves technical persons from frequent return to the finished page and updating its content. This saves time and money, because virtually anyone can enter new content on the page. It should be remembered that more complicated updates (changes to the page template, special behavior of the page in exceptional situations) will have to be made by the programmer.

Simplicity and speed of editing content without programming skills

One of the biggest advantages of CMS is the lack of technical knowledge. If you want to change the content on the page, you do not have to be a programmer with many years of experience – basic skills in using text editors are enough for you. The use of CMS also benefits programmers, because it frees them from part of the work – content management is much easier using such a system than by editing individual lines of code.

Choosing a CMS: licensed, dedicated or Open Source?

When commissioning the creation of a website, you have the following options: purchase a license for a ready CMS, a command to write a dedicated system or use of available Open Source platforms.

Licensed CMS is a ready script under which you buy a license from its creator. This solution is very similar to Open Source (the subject of which is discussed below), with the difference that you have to pay for the use of the code (which involves such benefits as a guarantee of the technical support of the author or increased security of the system code).

Dedicated CMS, or tailor made, is programmed especially for your needs. This solution has practically no limitations with respect to the functions offered, however it is much more expensive than using free (or even licensed) scripts. The biggest advantages of this solution are security – dedicated CMS are less vulnerable to hacker attacks (individual structure) and the above-mentioned freedom in code creation – a programmer knowing his “product” can later develop it easier. In the matter of dedicated CMS, PaweÅ‚ Pason again takes the floor:

Their biggest advantage is personalization and operation in accordance with the needs specified by the customer, and such features will not have any publicly available system. In addition, closed architecture increases security, because even if there is an error in the code, there is a small chance that it will be detected by moving bots on the Internet scanning random pages for security vulnerabilities (e.g., published CMS errors that have not yet been corrected). The obvious disadvantage of dedicated systems is the lack of frequent updates, which in this case are associated with additional fees for its creator.

The third option (and it will be its subject that will be explored in this article) is the use of CMS platforms made available on the principle of Open Source. This means that they are free and their users can use, update, improve the code and create extensions for it.

The most popular CMS platforms – WordPress, Drupal and Joomla

According to BuiltWith, WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world (as of February 1, 2016), with a 50% market share. Joomla is far behind him! (8%), Drupal and Blogger (2%). The rest are other platforms, the topics of which in this article will not be discussed. Data from the Polish market present similar statistics: WordPress reigns (64%), followed by Joomla! (15%), and on the third – Drupal (2%).

The most commonly used CMS platforms are WordPress, Drupal and Joomla

The popularity of WordPress is not unreasonable. Most websites or blogs are run by people without programming skills. Would you like to learn programming to write about cats or frying pancakes? 🙂 Exactly. WordPress is simple, transparent and functional and has exactly millions of users. However, each of the above-mentioned CMS platforms has their pros and cons, which their future user should become familiar with.

WordPress: simplicity, an extensive community and a huge number of extensions

WordPress is the most popular CMS platform among internet users around the world. Most of its users appear among bloggers, but also administrators of simple websites.

WordPress owes its popularity to simplicity, an extensive community and a large number of free plugins

Advantages of WordPress

WordPress owes its popularity above all to its simplicity. Its operation will not cause any problems even if you are a layman who does not know programming languages. Other advantages of this platform is the extensive community that communicates with each other on the English-language forum (or Polish equivalent). These forums are a place where practitioners give themselves, which is why they are a source of invaluable knowledge and answers to questions that no one asked you.

Another advantage of this CMS is the huge number of plugins extending its functionality, which is due to the availability in Open Source mode. Users can create and publish add-ons themselves, which translates into their number.

It is also worth mentioning that WordPress is a free platform – you do not incur the cost of using the code, plugins or themes, but only adapt this CMS to your needs.

Disadvantages of WordPress

The disadvantages of WordPress definitely include the need to know PHP, CSS and HTML languages if you want to change some of the page’s functions. It can even be associated with such banal elements as changing the date field or graphic elements, so despite the simplicity of the platform, it would be good for you to have a “familiar” programmer on hand.

Another disadvantage of this CMS is the need to install a large number of plugins when you want to expand the functionality to the level of competing platforms. These extensions negatively affect the smoothness of WordPress. Another problem may be the huge number of plugins – many of them have their worse or better counterparts, and choosing the right ones can give you a headache.

There may also be a lot to be desired from this platform’s security, which is worse than that of competitors, although you can increase WordPress security with the help of appropriate plugins.

Drupal: extensive functionality, appearance and user management

In terms of popularity, Drupal is second behind WordPress and unlike it – it has a much wider range of functionality and will be used in more advanced websites. Provided you can tame this beast.

Drupal offers more extensive functionality at the expense of transparency and smooth operation

Advantages of Drupal

Drupal, like WordPress, is Open Source software – it is available for free and everyone can edit the code and create plugins for it.

The basic version of Drupal, not developed with additional plugins, provides a wide range of functions such as user registration, profile management, menu, RSS feeds. As part of these functions, it is also possible to create simple pages, blogs or forums, which is why Drupal will work best on websites with extensive user functionality.

Drupal also offers website appearance management. Using CMS you can change the layout of individual graphic elements without knowledge of CSS and HTML. This platform is also characterized by high flexibility and susceptibility to modification. With its help, you can create complex and interesting sites, but it is targeted rather to advanced users, because these “greens” will easily get lost in its extensive functionality.

Like WordPress, Drupal has its own extensive forum rich in documentation and advice on how to squeeze the last juices from this platform.

Disadvantages of Drupal

Drupal’s biggest problem is the need to have technical knowledge when installing and using it. This feature virtually cancels him if you do not have such qualifications. It is similar with extending the functionality of this script – installing plugins is not as easy as in the case of WordPress. The low performance of this platform may also leave a lot to be desired, which is related to the large number of functions it offers. The load on the server is visible especially when there is a lot of traffic on the site. The way out of this situation may be installing plugins that speed up the script.

Generally, placing Drupal on simple pages is pointless – it targets more advanced projects. The only question is why complicate your life by running a blog in Drupal if you have at hand a much more simple and transparent WordPress?

Joomla: a compromise between functionality and simplicity of use

Joomla is a platform that is a good compromise between simple WordPress and complicated Drupal. Just like the scripts mentioned above, Joomla is Open Source software, which provides a large amount of information and tutorials, as well as free plugins.

Joomla is a compromise between simplicity and functionality

Advantages of Joomla

Joomla is relatively easy to install, simpler than Drupal, but slightly more difficult than WordPress. Advanced administration allows you to introduce many functions not available in competing scripts. Joomla also has a comprehensive navigation system that allows you to easily manage the site even if it has many subpages.

Joomla has a large (but smaller than previous) number of plugins available, which is due to the Open Source environment. Their use is favored by an extensive community, a large number of tutorials, as well as extensive English and Polish discussion forums.

Disadvantages of Joomla

The first contact with Joomla may cause you disgust, because the script is very non-intuitive and more complicated than WordPress, so you should consider whether to use it when you had no previous contact with CMS. Another issue is quite limited flexibility in relation to Drupal. Joomla offers many interesting solutions, but more advanced users may feel unsatisfied. This script also consumes more resources than the competition. The larger your website and its structure, the slower it will function.

Another disadvantage is the higher cost of developing the platform’s functionality. This is due to the existence of a smaller number of plugins, as well as the payment of some of them. It’s worth remembering that you don’t have to pay for some of Joomla’s extensions with its competitors. Sometimes there are also incompatibilities between the platform and its plugins, so their implementation may require programming skills.

Summary

The Content Management System was created to facilitate the management of websites not only for lay people, but also for more advanced stunters. With it, you can quickly change the content and functions of the site without interfering with the programming code. With the current technological possibilities, the lack of CMS is completely unjustified (unless you are dealing with static services – business cards).

When choosing a CMS platform, you should familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of individual scripts so that your expectations coincide with reality and allow you to easily and conveniently build the strength of your brand on the Internet.

As part of building a website, Brandoo can create a dedicated CMS for you or customize the licensed / Open Source system specifically for your needs. We invite you to familiarize yourself with our portfolio.

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