A CMS (content management system) is software for creating and editing website content, such as WordPress, Drupal or Joomla.
A content management system is the software behind most websites. It gives you an admin area where you can write pages, upload images and publish blog posts without editing code. The CMS stores your content, usually in a database, and turns it into web pages when visitors arrive.
WordPress is by far the best-known example, powering a large share of all websites. Others include Drupal, Joomla, Ghost and Statamic, plus hosted platforms like Shopify and Squarespace.
How a CMS works
A typical self-hosted CMS has three parts:
- The admin interface, where you log in and edit content.
- The database, usually MySQL or MariaDB, which stores posts, pages, settings and users.
- The theme or templates, which control how content looks to visitors.
When someone visits a page, the CMS runs code (often PHP), pulls the content from the database and fills it into the template. A cache can save the finished page so this doesn't happen on every visit.
Types of CMS
- Self-hosted, open-source: WordPress, Drupal and Joomla. You install them on your own hosting and have full control.
- Hosted (SaaS): Wix, Squarespace and Shopify. The company runs the software and hosting for you, with less flexibility.
- Headless CMS: stores content and delivers it through an API to a separate front end, popular with developers.
- Flat-file CMS: stores content in files instead of a database, such as Statamic or Grav.
How to choose a CMS for your website
Think about what you need now and in a year:
- Ease of use: will non-technical people be editing the site?
- Features: blog, shop, bookings, forums or multiple languages.
- Plugins and themes: a big ecosystem saves time and money.
- Hosting needs: most open-source CMSs need PHP and MySQL, which standard shared hosting provides.
- Ownership: with a self-hosted CMS you own your content and can move hosts whenever you like.
Common CMS security and upkeep tasks
A CMS needs looking after. Outdated plugins and themes are one of the most common ways sites get hacked, so update regularly, remove anything you don't use, use strong passwords and two-factor authentication, and keep backups.
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