What is a CMS?
A CMS (Content Management System) is software that lets you create, manage, and publish digital content without writing code. WordPress, the most popular CMS, powers over 40% of all websites. Other CMSs include Drupal, Joomla, Ghost, and Strapi.
How Does CMS Work?
A CMS provides a web-based admin interface where non-technical users can write content, upload media, manage pages, and customize design using themes and plugins. Traditional CMSs like WordPress are "monolithic" — they handle both content management and front-end rendering. Headless CMSs like Strapi, Contentful, and Sanity provide only the backend, delivering content via API.
Choosing between a CMS and static hosting depends on your needs. CMSs are ideal for frequently updated content, multiple editors, and complex functionality. Static sites (or static site generators) are better for performance, security, and simplicity. Many modern approaches use a headless CMS for content management while generating static HTML for the front end.