What Is Content Management System?

All the websites consist of pages which use HTML language to present the content. There are also supporting files for styles and JavaScript code for additional functionality. In order to create pages from scratch you need to know HTML, CSS, JavaScript and similar technologies. While this approach gives you total freedom on the design and functionality it is totally unsuitable for beginners. To avoid this direct contact with web technologies we can use one of many web content management systems (CMS).

Web CMS is a software that runs the website. You use it to create, edit and display pages. It contains everything you need to create a complete website including header graphics, menus, side columns, etc. CMS uses system of templates which define basic page layout and positions for content items. CMS is a software that stores all the data into a database and then dynamically creates requested pages.

Creating pages with such web CMS is very easy because there is a What You See Is What You Get editor where you simply enter text, images, links and other page elements and you immediately see how the page will look like. This is a big advantage for all users because–you can crate pages without any HTML/CSS knowledge. Of course, if you are an advanced user you can still write HTML code or add inline styles but the point is that anybody can create pages as you create documents with Word or any other text editor.

A typical CMS has two parts: frontend and backend. Frontend is the website visible on the web. Visitors never know what lies behind the site, they only see pages. Backend is the administrative part of the website where you manage layout and content. Users with different privileges can log in and add pages, update content or do some maintenance task.

Two widely used and very popular content management systems are Joomla and WordPress. Both are free and fully customizable. There are thousands of templates and extensions available. The basic system provides only a backbone for the site, with extensions you define the layout, page elements and functionality of the website. Joomla and WordPress can be used to create almost any type of website. While there are some differences between them there is no significant difference at the frontend. Typical web layouts can be achieved with a suitable template. In general, WordPress is more suitable for blogs while Joomla is more universal. WordPress is also more suitable for beginners because it has simpler user interface and you can create first pages without deep understanding of the CMS philosophy.

For example, the Domains & Hosting website is based on the WordPress CMS but from the visitor’s perspective this is not important. If you are new to websites you should try at least Joomla and WordPress to get an impression what such Content Management System offers and how easy (or complicated) it is to create a website from scratch.

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