Flat file CMS offers better performance, simplicity, and security \u2014 leading to faster speed and portability. If you\u2019re sick and tired of the \u201cclunky\u201d traditional CMS solutions and looking for an alternative, consider using a flat-file CMS AKA a file-based CMS. This will save your team a significant investment in time and energy and may save you future headaches.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s why (and how) a flat-file CMS may be the best solution.<\/p>\n
Simply put, a flat-file CMS (FFCMS) is a response to the slowness and complexity of feeling of traditional database CMS. No matter how much you may love WordPress, for example, we can all agree on one thing\u2026 nobody ever marveled at its speed. The same goes for other CMS such as Drupal. That\u2019s because WordPress, and other traditional CMS, attempt to be an \u201call in one\u201d platform \u2014 very functional, but perhaps lacking in speed or portability.<\/p>\n
From its beginnings as a simple blogging platform, WordPress has evolved into a robust CMS. Around 30% of the internet is built on WordPress due to its flexible and robust functionality. However, its growth has led a chunk of users to seek out something simpler and more reminiscent of the WordPress of 10 years ago.<\/p>\n
Just a moment ago, we mentioned most CMS boast a kind all-in-one functionality. This is usually achieved by a complex back end database to store the content. But database configuration and maintenance is a hassle and chore for those who want a simpler option.<\/p>\n
This gap is filled by flat-file CMS.<\/p>\n
The benefits of a FFCMS stem directly from the fact that it doesn\u2019t rely on a database. This makes it simpler and much faster, because you don\u2019t have to query the database every time you want to do something. Instead, the flat-file CMS generates pages by storing each in a folder of its own. When you need to open the page, it comes straight out of the folder<\/p>\n
If you simply have no need to maintain a database, using a FFCMS will save you so much time and energy. You and your team won\u2019t have to spend your time trying to configure the database and get everything exactly the way you wanted. You won\u2019t waste resources on database maintenance.<\/p>\n
Dealing with a flat file CMS is much easier. Installation is very similar to installing a WordPress plugin<\/a>\u2026 just upload files to the server. This makes your site ready to use out of the box. Plus, as we just mentioned, you can forget about database configuration and maintenance and simply focus on something else. Put all this together and it seems very simple, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n And that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n Most FFCMS load content in about half a second. Contrast that to the typical WordPress load speed, which can take up to three seconds. What is impacted by load speed? SEO. UX. Bounce rate. Using a FFCMS can give you a boost in these important areas. That\u2019s because most content is basically stored in files and folders, so you don\u2019t have to go back and forth with the database to load content.<\/p>\n Again, you have no need to export and configure a database, so without a database, file-based CMS is much easier to move to another server. In a lot of cases, it\u2019s basically drag and drop via dropbox or something similar. Most (including our favorites, see below) come with auto-backup so backing it up after transfer is an automatic process.<\/p>\n Plus, it\u2019s secure. How can hackers or malicious actors target a database\u2026 when there\u2019s no database? The more complex and complicated a CMS, the less secure it is. There are just too many potential security holes. The simplicity and low vulnerability of a flat-file CMS means there just aren\u2019t as many points of access to exploit.<\/p>\n Finally, FFCMS offers better and easier version control.<\/p>\n It\u2019s often a headache to manage multiple & ongoing changes across the database. Especially if you\u2019re working with a team, it\u2019s hard to stay on top of everything that\u2019s done and everything that needs to be done. Which is why FFCMS are the painless solution.<\/p>\n Flat-file CMS is super-easy to version control through your favorite software development platform. Remember, FFCMS simply stores content in files and folders. So it\u2019s actually very easy to keep up to date version control, even if you have a lot of sites or pages that need to get up to speed very quickly.<\/p>\n There are plenty of flat-file CMS on the market right now, so how can you pick which one is the best option for you? Well, they aren\u2019t all created equally. If security and speed are important considerations for you, then our recommendation is to use Statamic.<\/p>\n We love Statamic because it\u2019s built on Laravel, one of our favorite PHP<\/a> frameworks due to its power and security. It is more secure than WordPress\u2026 and it may be more secure than even its Flat-File CMS competitors.<\/p>\n Statamic is also very easy to customize and provides a very easy website building experience. It\u2019s easy to manage your content and forms, and it provides possibly the best control over image-based sits among other flat-file CMS.<\/p>\n Finally, it comes with the Statamic Marketplace, a one-stop-shop for plugins and themes. The Marketplace hosts a community of developers and designers, so new plugins are always coming out and being updated.<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019ve read this far and you\u2019re convinced that you would like to give FFCMS a shot, you\u2019re in luck.<\/p>\nWhich One Should You Use? Our Recommendation<\/h2>\n