Defining a CMS :
A CMS, or Content Management System, is software that allows you to create and manage website content without writing any code. In practice, it acts as the interface between the user and the database: you write an article, choose an image, hit publish, and the CMS takes care of the rest.
The main benefit? Allowing anyone, regardless of technical skills, to keep a website up to date on a daily basis.
The main CMS platforms: WordPress, Drupal, SPIP…
There are dozens of them, but a few clearly dominate the market. They can be grouped into two main families.
General-purpose CMS
The most widely used. Ideal for blogs, showcase websites and small e-commerce stores. Large community, extensive plugin library.
Powerful and flexible. Preferred for complex projects: institutional websites, multi-site platforms, structured content management.
Popular in French-speaking non-profit and institutional sectors. Simple and reliable, but less common in the private sector.
Used for large-scale projects, particularly in Europe. Very feature-rich but comes with a steep learning curve.
E-commerce CMS
The leading French-speaking open source solution for online stores. Widely used by small and medium businesses.
Powerful and highly modular, built for large product catalogues. Requires solid technical expertise.
A hosted solution, easy to get started with. Great for launching quickly, but limited in terms of flexibility.
Each CMS meets different needs. The right choice depends on the project, the budget and the available expertise, but that's a topic in its own right, which I'll cover in an upcoming article.
Web builders: Webflow, Wix, Squarespace…
Sitting somewhere between a traditional CMS and an all-in-one tool, web builders have grown massively in recent years. We're talking about solutions like Webflow, Framer, Wix or Squarespace.
The promise: build a website visually by dragging and dropping blocks, without touching a single line of code. It works well for simple sites, with a polished result and a quick setup.
The limitations show up as soon as you need deeper customisation, specific integrations or complex content management. You quickly hit the boundaries of the platform, with no way out.
CMS vs. from-scratch development: which should you choose?
Building a site from scratch means coding every feature by hand, without relying on an existing CMS. It offers complete freedom, but at a cost.
In the vast majority of cases, a well-configured CMS meets the need perfectly, and much faster. From-scratch development makes sense when:
- The project has very specific technical constraints
- Performance is critical and every millisecond counts
- The interface is so bespoke that no CMS can accommodate it
For most web projects, a CMS remains the most relevant solution. It allows faster delivery, easier maintenance, and gives the client full control over their content.
