Content management system (CMS)
Software that lets you change a website’s text, images and pages without a developer.
Glossary · Websites & e-commerce
A content management system (CMS) separates a website’s content from its code. An editor signs in, changes a paragraph or uploads a photo and publishes the change, with no programming involved.
Systems differ in how much freedom they leave. Some let you assemble any page from blocks; others let you change only fields that were defined in advance. The first kind is more flexible, the second keeps the design and structure intact because an editor cannot break them by accident.
When choosing a CMS, ask not only what it can do but who will look after it: who installs updates, where backups are kept, and whether you can take your content with you if you ever change systems.