Content Management System
The Content Management System (CMS) is a software application that manages and publishes content on websites with the least amount of code knowledge you may have.
CMS’s in general is comprised of two major components:
1) Content management applications (CMA) enable you to add, edit, and delete content from your website.
2) A content delivery application (CDA) that compiles and delivers the content you input in the content management application to your site’s frontend, where visitors can view it.
Open-source Content management systems widely used:
- Joomla ranks second in the world of CMS platforms. Despite being seen as more complex than WordPress, it is recommended either for beginners or advanced users. It offers a wide selection of plugins and SEO-friendly features, like Drupal.
- WordPress is an open-source content management system written in PHP and MySQL. It was launched in 2003 and remains one of the easiest options for creating a website.
- The Magento open-source e-commerce platform is written in PHP. A combination of its rich features and scalability makes it a popular e-commerce platform now.
- In 2004, Umbraco was launched as one of the first CMS-based systems built using the .NET programming language. The user-friendly features and flexible content management system make it ideal for content marketers.
Framework
The framework is a set of code that allows the creation of websites and web applications.
In contrast to a CMS, it doesn’t offer any ready-to-use tools for managing and updating content. Although frameworks come with some standard code to use as building blocks, they are generally easier to adapt than completely coding from scratch.
Frameworks also add functionality by adding libraries, a collection of functions that come with a framework. Similarly, plugins enhance CMS functionality by extending the framework’s core functionality. The component content management system market is growing at the CAGR of ~11% during 2021-2027, says Astute Analytica.
The main examples of Framework are:
- The PHP framework CodeIgniter is known for its simplicity and small footprint. Applications that are lightweight and for beginners are best developed with this bundle.
- The .NET Framework from Microsoft supports programming languages such as C#, F#, and Visual Basic. It is a building and running application development framework primarily for use on Windows servers. .NET Core is a new implementation of the framework that enables the building and running of applications on Windows, Linux, and macOS servers.
- Symfony is one of the oldest and most widely used PHP frameworks. Several libraries and components are available that make this the top choice for developers when working on large-scale enterprise projects.
CMS and frameworks: Factor to consider
Here are some factors to consider before choosing which to use for your website.
- Cost- The cost of CMS-based website development is lower because it takes less time and effort. Frameworks expand development time and cost because most functions and features must be customized for your website, thereby increasing development time and cost.
- Requirements– In general, a CMS is the best choice for smaller projects without too many complex requirements. For example, WordPress is an excellent system if you want to set up a blog, a small webshop, or a website. Depending on how complex your project is and what kind of requirements you have, a framework such as Laravel or Phalcon may be the better option.
- Target time– In contrast to frameworks, CMS comes with the basic features needed to create a website or webshop, reducing development time. Hence, CMS may be a better choice if you’re trying to go live quickly with a minimum viable product (MVP).
- Scalability-The website or webshop based on a framework is more scalable because your requirements are not restricted by an architecture not meeting them, as would be the case with a CMS.
