What is a content management system?

In the early days of the Web, most people wrote web pages by hand, in raw HTML. That worked well—for a while. Then, as the Web expanded, people wanted to publish increasingly-complex web sites and maintain them over time. Raw HTML wasn't enough, and it turned out that the first-generation of graphical HTML editors, such as Dreamweaver and FrontPage, weren't enough either. More sophisticated systems for creating and managing thousands (or millions!) of pages were needed, and from this need, modern CMSes were born.

A content management system is a software application that allows you to create, edit, and publish information on the Web in a consistent, structured way.

Content management systems provide a wide range of features that support the process of creating and editing the content, including:

In short, content management systems are the beating heart of most modern web sites. By automating routine tasks, they allow web site authors to focus on writing compelling content, and by opening up new horizons of interactivity, content management systems turn web sites into living, breathing communities.