Hello! Besides the most well-known content management systems, there are many others that are less known but still good. For example, CMS Grav. This system is written in PHP and uses a flat-file model.
In essence, a separate file is generated for each page. Typically, there is a template that dynamically generates a page based on information in the database. The flat-file model allows bypassing the need for a database by creating a separate file for each page. This approach might seem inelegant, but it actually enables the system to operate quite swiftly. Alright, more explanations to follow.
Visit the CMS Grav site at https://getgrav.org/.
More about CMS Grav
As mentioned, it’s a content management system using a flat-file model. The main drawback is that if there are many pages, the file system can become quite large. It’s not always convenient to have thousands of HTML files in the root directory of your site. However, creating a single-page site or a small blog with 100 entries is a great idea, especially since such a site will be very fast, which is beneficial for SEO.
Sites on this platform run pretty quickly, though I wouldn’t recommend it for something very serious. That said, there are some impressive sites built with Grav. Just look at the website for the CMS itself. Pretty nice, overall.
It handles primary tasks well. You can create almost any site if you don’t need unique functionality. Of course, the low popularity among developers makes the platform less attractive to average users, as there are very few ready-made solutions, even paid ones.
For page generation and display, it uses the Twig template engine and Markdown for markup. Many technologies are borrowed from Symfony, such as the console. There’s a lot to explore.
Yes, templates will look like that. However, it’s hard to cover everything in a single review. Future articles will examine specific aspects of the system step by step.
Installation
Installing Grav on a hosting service, including local ones, is fairly simple. You can use the classic installer method or more advanced methods like Composer, or install it via Git. There’s plenty of flexibility. In the next article, I’ll describe a simple installation.
Instructions for installing with Composer or Git are available in the official documentation. Those familiar with these tools will manage without problems: https://learn.getgrav.org/17/basics/installation
Installation options
Option one — install the bare system, then install the theme, plugins, and manually edit. But there’s a more interesting option. You can install a pre-configured system with a set theme and plugins, known as “Skeleton”.
Check it out here: https://getgrav.org/downloads/skeletons. Look at the demos, choose the most interesting one, and install it. It’s a great way to quickly deploy a site. The number of themes and skeletons is small, but there’s enough to get started with minimal further setup.
Plugins
Themes and plugins are integral parts of many CMSs. Grav is no exception. Currently, there are only 290 plugins, which doesn’t compare to more popular CMSs. So if you’re not an experienced developer, your options are limited. If you can’t find a suitable plugin, you won’t be able to implement the needed functionality.
Is Grav more difficult than WordPress?
I wouldn’t say it’s more difficult. WP has its own challenges that require a lot of know-how. It’s the same here. If you want to seriously develop your skills with this system, you’ll need to dive in and study it; otherwise, you won’t get anywhere.
The main challenge with CMS Grav is that there are fewer ready-made solutions. A beginner can’t just download and install plugins, nor even buy them.
Meanwhile, WordPress has plugins for almost every conceivable need. So Grav is definitely not for beginners.
Prospects of CMS Grav
What are the prospects for the platform? In terms of variety and other aspects, Grav significantly lags behind more popular CMSs, so its prospects are limited. But for small blogs and lightweight single-page sites, it’s an excellent option.
I’d say it’s quite difficult to build a complex project with extensive functionality here, but making a simple site is very easy.
In terms of making money in Russia with CMS, things are bleak. If you want to work on order, there’s almost no Russian-speaking audience, documentation, or demand for sites on this platform. Develop your skills with WordPress or Bitrix, or learn Laravel or Symfony. These latter options are more lucrative.
Conclusions
Grav is a decent content management system, and I suggest building a site with it together. Everything will be as simple as possible so that you can master it at a basic level and understand how it all works. This will be a basic news blog for event announcements, so get acquainted. In the CMS Grav section, you will find articles with information about this CMS.
