CMS (Content Management System) is a content management system for your site: editing and deleting current pages, creating new pages or sections. Thanks to it you can do without having programming skills and without turning to web developers.
Why does a site need a CMS?
It can solve the following problems:
- Full site administration — even without knowledge of HTML and CSS.
- Creating new pages.
- Editing pages.
- Publication of new content.
- Collaborative work on creating and editing content.
- Setting permissions for different user groups and assigning roles to users.
- Changing the structural element of the site.
- Change of design.
- Introduction of new functionality.
- Search engine optimization pages.
List of the most popular systems
Not to be confused with the type designers: WIX, Tilda, Webflow, uKit and others. CMS - an independent engine that allows you to extend the functionality of the site, add new features, change the design. Designer is significantly limited in terms of functionality. It allows you to create only simple sites based on ready-made, and no SaaS-service will not allow you to interfere with a template.
The main advantages:
- There are free options.
- The cost of paid solutions is generally lower than the long-term use of designers WIX, Tilda.
- Most management systems have ready-made tools for search engine optimization pages.
- To create and edit pages do not need coding. And you can even create a site from scratch by yourself.
- It is easy to change the design of the entire site, its structure, add the necessary functionality.
Many CMS have a large community, for each system, there is official documentation. All together, you can solve most issues without involving a developer.
Disadvantages:
- Vulnerability to external attacks and the danger of breaking into the site. Site administrators who have not updated the current version in a long time are especially at risk.
- Plugins can create a large static load on the hosting and significantly reduce the speed of loading pages.
- Some CMSs will require initial training — a user who has never dealt with such systems will need time to get used to them.
Ideally, you will need to know HTML, PHP, CSS and JavaScript. You will often need to make some changes to somebody else's code (WP itself or a plugin, for example). For example, the plugin you need conflicts with the theme, and the site "crashes". Of course, you can restore it from the backup on the hosting, but it is better to find the problem yourself and close it. And without knowledge of basic languages and technologies you can not do this. As well as customize the CMS functionality.
How does CMS work
Modern CMS works directly in your browser — you don't need to switch between several programs to manage the external interface of the website and its server part. Each has a content editor — it is used to create and edit new pages. Publishing a draft is a click of a button.
The creation of new pages takes place on demand or when editing them. The CMA (Content Management Application) is used to create and edit content within the CMS administration panel.
In addition to CMA, any content management system has a CDA component, which is a content administration and delivery service.
Ones of the most famous
Drupal
Drupal — CMS is especially in demand when creating corporate websites. In Drupal there is no traditional administrative panel, but it is more flexible than the same WP.
Advantages of Drupal:
- Engine allows you to work with any functions, to implement them at the level of the site or individual pages.
- Ready-made tools for SEO.
- Thousands of modules allow you to recommend this CMS to create sites of any complexity.
- Community on Drupal in Russia alive and updated.
Disadvantages of Drupal:
- Without training, especially if you are far from web development, to understand Drupal exactly will not work.
- To use Drupal, you must know at least the basics of HTML, PHP, CSS and JavaScript.
- Perhaps the most confusing for the beginner of all the popular CMS you've seen.
Wordpress
The world's most popular blogging engine. But it can be used not only for blogs, but also for forums, aggregators and even online stores.
The advantages of Wordpress:
- Completely free.
- The most responsive and understandable interface.
- Open source code.
- Huge collection of plugins to implement any features.
- Wordpress beta plugins. They are now under development and may be included in a future version of WordPress.
- Beta-plugins Wordpress. They are now in development and may be included in a future version of WordPress.
