Hands up those who know what frameworks are! No doubts that for non-technical people this topic could be hard to digest. That is why we would like to take baby steps before comparing the two major groups of open source frameworks – CMS and MVC. Before getting into the technical details, let’s get the basics right.
What is a “Framework”?
These so-called web application frameworks are basically nothing more than just a bunch of (well-tested) code libraries for templates, database access and much more.
They are created to make developers’ work easier and faster. As you probably know these “tech guys” work with massive amounts of code to build an entire application. Therefore, collecting and reusing the same libraries when needed definitely makes a lot of sense. Of course, for smaller projects, it is pretty common to write custom code from scratch.
However, for the vast majority of projects, these frameworks are extremely useful. The biggest advantage of a framework is the fact that it saves a lot of time!
CMS, Content Management System
As you know, we are big fans of open source CMS at Wiredelta®. The reason why Content Management Systems are so special is because they provide a massive amount of free themes, modules, and plugins. With all these functionalities, coding from scratch is no longer needed. That is why website and app development is faster and easier with CMS.
Let’s take WordPress as an example. Some say that since it does not require coding but relies on standard libraries of themes and plugins, you cannot build anything that solves a specific purpose.
Let’s face the truth: WordPress has over 50,000 plugins for no other reason than to deal with all kinds of specific purposes. Another impressive number is 4,000 themes available making it possible to create custom websites. It’s like saying that everyone’s phone, whether Android or iPhone, is set up exactly the same way. That is simply not true.
We are working with WordPress because it offers fully-fledged applications that are ready to be deployed. We would not have more themes than Wix, Weebly and Squarespace combined without working with open source CMS, but website builders like Wix, Weebly and Squarespace and closed boxes, and as developers we need to work with open source frameworks.
Since every coin has two sides, here are a few disadvantages to consider too. For web and app developers, it can be a drawback that you rely on other people’s work. Also, if you would like to create a website for a really specific purpose CMS can be a bad idea. They are for general purposes like blogs, webshops and other popular trends.
MVC, Model View Controller
MVC is a framework that couples controller logic with user interface (UI) – the way we interact with an app or website. It is popular when it comes to website and app development. MVC gives the developers a great mix of libraries. Later on, they convert them into custom features. To make it easier to understand: these elements are essential for the well-being of a website and app.
Model-View-Controller is the dominant way to structure an application because it gives an easier overview and control of an application without restrictions. The reason why it is a more complex concept is because it requires a full understanding of the programming language and how to structure applications. Furthermore, to use Model View Controllers one has to be aware of the different libraries.
CMS & MVC
To sum it up MVC is a great framework group, even though it is extremely hard to use for non-professionals. It requires quite deep knowledge of programming. On the other hand, CMS is more of a tool, building a website with it does not require any coding skills at all. It also has a great variety of plugins and themes to help you on the way. For SMEs, a fast CMS setup is much more important than the dynamic but slower go-to-market MVC setup.
It is hard to determine which group of frameworks to apply. Both can save a massive amount of time and money in most cases. At Wiredelta® we have decided to use both! Because if we work with only one or the other you would have to spend more resources on the creation of the website.
The question remaining is whether to use a CMS or MVC in your specific case. Using CMS means using a pre-made set of libraries and only change a few relevant parts. If you need to make way too many changes in a CMS to get the desired results, you might need MVC.
Based on your project brief, where you explain your requirements and ideas, Wiredelta pays special attention to decide which framework group should be favored. Wiredelta’s developers are qualified to find out what is the most beneficial solution for you and your company!
After determining whether to choose CMS or MVC the difficulties are not over! Building a website can be very hard and frustrating for beginners.
That is why we created a chatbot, that helps build websites using open source CMS frameworks like WordPress, 24/7. Our AI assistant would be more than happy to answer questions and navigate you to any tool you need. With the help of the AI website building is not only fast and customizable, but also easy!
