What is a Content Management System (CMS)?
Introduction
CMS is an acronym that is commonly used on the Internet when creating websites. This acronym’s popularity is not by chance, and it has numerous advantages. CMS is an abbreviation for Content Management Systems, and it plays an important role in business development.
It is important to note right away that nearly 80 million websites use some form of CMS.
In this post, we will go over several CMS-related topics in depth:
- What is CMS, exactly?
- How does the CMS work?
- What does a CMS consist of?
- What are the popular CMS platforms?
- What types of websites can be built with CMS?
- What are the main advantages of the CMS platform?
What is a Content Management System (CMS)?
A Content Management System (CMS) is a software platform designed to provide a potential solution to certain issues that may arise during the development of a website.
- The process of creating a website can be demanding and difficult, and it is necessary to set aside a significant amount of time for the website to be completed successfully and on time.
- Depending on the requirements for website development, the number of developers may vary. The more extensive the requirements and the shorter the development time, the higher the number of developers and thus the cost of creating such a website.
- One of the most important factors here is expertise. A website is insufficient if it is not designed for non-professional users.
All of the problems mentioned above are easily solved by the CMS platform.
How does the Content Management System work?
When creating a traditional website, the developer would have to upload all of the necessary files to the server and configure the server to download and display the appropriate files as needed. In such a case, the developer has his hands full, and the process can take longer or shorter depending on the developer’s experience and the hosting platform.
CMS, on the other hand, eliminates the need to upload code files because such files are already included. What is required is to populate those files with the necessary information. All of this is possible with the dashboard. Using the dashboard to enter content into files looks like entering plain text, and most settings are done with a mouse click.
Media files, such as images, video clips, or documents, are frequently required to be uploaded.
Developers can, of course, experiment with a CMS’s source files if it is an open-source project. There is a lot of freedom in customizing the CMS platform, but there are some limitations in terms of website development from the start.
What does a Content Management System consist of?
CMS, like web applications, is divided into two parts: front-end and back-end.
The front-end is the part of the website that allows the user to manage it through the dashboard. The front-end also includes the design of the website that end users or clients see.
The back-end is the part of the application that runs in the background and is responsible for storing data in the database, manipulating data with code, and displaying data. The back-end section is primarily concerned with the CMS system’s functionality.
Because the CMS system uses both the front-end and the back-end equally, we can say that CMS is a complete software solution that is widely accepted.
For website development, many CMS platforms rely on plugins and themes. A plugin is a small application that performs or assists in the performance of a specific task. Plugins are CMS extensions that aid in website development. There are both free and paid plugins.
Themes can also be very useful during the development of a website. Themes simplify website development by providing ready-made templates that look great with minimal changes. There are both free and paid premium themes available. Free themes typically provide only the most basic elements of the template, whereas premium themes provide many additional options to make the website look even better.
What are the popular Content Management Systems?
Because CMS is such a popular software solution, there are a plethora of CMS platforms that are popular and widely used in the domain of website creation.
For a long time, there have been three leading CMS platforms, one of which stands out as the most popular and best. WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla are the most popular CMS platforms in terms of the number of websites and users.
When it comes to CMS platforms, WordPress is the clear winner. It is widely regarded as the best and most popular CMS platform in the world. WordPress powers nearly half of all websites on the planet.
Drupal and Joomla take up much less market space for website development, but because they have been around for a long time, they have a good reputation as well as many useful ready-made modules that can be used for website development.
WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla are long-standing CMS platforms that perform similarly, but there are also more modern CMS platforms.
Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly are examples of more recent CMS platforms. The difference is that such CMS platforms give average users even more support for website development and allow for a drag-and-drop approach to creation. In addition to being simpler to use, they provide a comprehensive website development solution that includes additional services such as hosting.
For older CMS platforms such as WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla, specific professional knowledge is still required to cover the entire development of the website from start to finish. In any case, average users will require the assistance of a developer. That problem is solved by more modern CMS platforms, which take over that part, leaving the user with only the process of creating a website.
Other CMS platforms include Magento, Webflow, TYPO3, Contentful, HubSpot, Shopify, and numerous others. We have only included the most popular CMS platforms in this section. However, others serve a similar purpose or function slightly differently.
What types of websites can be created using a Content Management System?
CMS platforms today can include several different types of websites and be more flexible, or they can focus solely on one type of website. The more specialized the CMS is for the development of a specific category, the better results it should provide and better opportunities in that category, although this does not necessarily mean that, again, everything depends on the client’s requirements.
One of the reasons WordPress is so popular is that it allows for great flexibility in developing websites of all types while maintaining the same quality.
The CMS platform can be used to create the following types of websites:
- Static web pages
- Electronics shops (eCommerce)
- Portfolio or blog websites
- Discussion boards (Forums)
- Online courses
- Social network websites
What are the main advantages of Content Management Systems?
To comprehend all of the benefits of the CMS platform, we must first return to the previously mentioned issues that arise during website development. Most clients want their website completed as soon as possible, to be of the highest quality possible, and to be profitable. This is precisely what the CMS platform enables.
The CMS platform primarily facilitates website development for developers, speeds up the creation process, and provides a way for non-professionals who do not know how to program to create a website.
CMS, as a software platform, offers a plethora of ready-made modules that can be combined to create a website. It makes development easier and faster for developers because they don’t have to start from scratch, but instead, have a foundation from which to build. On the other hand, with the platform’s assistance, average users who do not know how to program can create a website and immediately manage it without additional training, while also having a professional-looking website.
Conclusion
In the long run, using a CMS platform for website development and management will benefit both the developer and the client. This solution has far more benefits than drawbacks, which explains its popularity.
What we didn’t mention earlier is that the CMS platform facilitates not only the website development process but also the maintenance that occurs after the website is finished and put into production. Upgrading the website is always possible and quick if it is built on a CMS platform, which is another significant advantage over other solutions.
CMS platforms are software solutions that will only improve in the future because they have found widespread applications and their future is secure.
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