Content Management System (CMS)

A Content Management System (CMS) is a system that creates web content. No programming knowledge is necessary.

Definition

A Content Management System (CMS) allows the editor to add content independently of the source code without any programming knowledge. This is possible because the editing takes place in a special WYSIWYG editor (“What You See Is What You Get” – also known as real-time display).

With the help of an access management, several users can work in the content management system. Among the best known representatives of the open source CMS are WordPress, TYPO 3, Drupal and Joomla.

There are both free content management systems and paid ones.

What functions can the Content Management System perform?

The Content Management System provides various functions to build a website quickly and easily:

• Website structure: Creating and deleting directories and folders is relatively simple with CM systems. No special knowledge is required. In addition, the CM system updates itself.
• Editing: It is edited with a rich text editor. Here, all formatting options are available for use with a WYSIWYG tool. It is also possible to insert multimedia content – videos, images and other interactive content.
• Design and templates: Designs, templates and CSS can be mapped without much effort.
• Hosting: Many hosting service providers that offer PHP and MySQL are supported by CM systems. An access system ensures simple handling of uploads and document file maintenance.
• API: If APIs are used in a CMS framework, a flexible extension of the existing functions is possible. In addition, new types of content elements can be developed.

Conclusion

Content management systems are mostly simple in their handling. In relation to self-programmed options, the development effort is significantly lower. It is therefore especially suitable for webmasters without programming knowledge. The creation and individualization of websites becomes – due to the prefabricated tools – very easy.