This solution is presented as an alternative to other larger and more complex options, such as Joomla! or TYPO3 .
CMS Contao: Powerful features for flexible and accessible websites
Contao may still be overshadowed by the larger content recent mobile phone number data management systems, but it has a very active community, and to date, more than 175,000 websites have been created using this CMS solution. It's a relatively new program that first appeared in 2006 under the name Typolight. Four years later, it adopted its current name to avoid any connection with TYPO3. Contao is a classic web content management system , specifically designed for accessible websites. It leaves social publishing or blog publishing in the background, although there are extensions available for this purpose.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Contao CMS
Generally speaking, comparing different content management systems is difficult because it ultimately depends greatly on the intended use and personal preferences. Contao offers several advantages that make it especially attractive for creating accessible and professional websites. However, it also presents some aspects that, depending on the scope of the project and the user's experience, can pose certain challenges.
The wide range of functions included in the basic version
The wide variety of extensions available , including the Isotope eCommerce store system , as well as designs and templates
An intuitive and accessible design
Long-term technical support
A strong support community and access to comprehensive documentation
The hierarchical structure of the pages allows you to manage different pages easily and facilitates the administration of meta tags, redirects and visibility through the structure tree.
Flexibility to design responsive and multilingual websites
SEO tools , such as generating search engine-friendly URLs and automatically creating XML sitemaps, make optimizing your web pages easier.
Some disadvantages of Contao are:
Template integration is complex and requires experience
In large projects the system loses clarity and simplicity
The integration of features for social media posting and blogging is less comprehensive compared to other CMS solutions.
Advice
If you'd like to test out Contao for yourself, you'll find an online demo on the project's official website . There, you can access the backend of a Contao installation and familiarize yourself with the content management system.
System Requirements
There aren't many requirements for installing Contao. A web server with support for PHP and MySQL is sufficient. PHP requires at least version 7.4 or higher, and MySQL requires at least version 8.0 or an equivalent version of MariaDB.