The prospect of launching a website still feels incredibly exhilarating — even for those who have already launched numerous websites in the past.
But if you’re new to the game, you may have conducted some research and found that some web developers prefer to code websites in HTML, while others prefer to use something called a CMS (Content Management System).
What is HTML?
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is a markup language used by website creators to develop and design web pages. It is definitely not the only language used by webmasters. There is XML (Extensive Markup Language), GML (Generalized Markup Language) and LaTex, just to name a few — but HTML is the most common.
Without HTML, we would have web pages that would look no less interesting than a page of unformatted text. HTML allows us to add style to text, insert and format images, embed video, customize fonts, add color, and a whole lot more.
The example below shows you the HTML coding for Core dna’s homepage:
What is a Content Management System (CMS)?
CMS stands for Content Management System, which is essentially software that helps you to build a website. It may provide you with templates, and it will definitely give you a way to create and manage digital content — most often through a user-friendly WYSWYG editor which is similar to using Microsoft Word.
Common CMS’ include Tumblr, WordPress, Joomla, Wix, and Drupal.
On the more advanced side of the spectrum, you’ll find ECM (Enterprise Content Management), which does everything a web CMS does, and then some. It supplements a typical web CMS features by facilitating collaboration in the workplace by integrating digital asset management, eCommerce, and document management into the mix. Going a step further, you’ll notice how most ECMs are becoming DXPs (Digital Experience Platforms), which help brands personalize content, deliver content to IoT devices, and much more.
CMS vs HTML: What is the difference?
It is important to note that almost every website is made with using HTML and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) coding language. The question is, was it coded from scratch, or is the web page using a CMS to piece the page together more easily?
You see, with a CMS, you can often use pre-built templates to launch web pages more quickly. You can then customize those templates to make them your own. This is obviously a lot faster than coding something from scratch, and is especially useful if you have no coding knowledge.
But besides that, there are some significant differences between HTML-only websites and CMS-powered websites.
Find out more at Core dna's blog on CMS vs HTML: Why Us a Content Management System?
Top comments (3)
What? It's ECM and CMS are platforms, HTML it's a code language.
It's like compare a book and a idiom.
Comparing HTML and CMS doesn't make much sense.
Thanks for your comment. There are people who create static HTML web pages to achieve the ultimate in speed. CMS systems store content in either data bases or non-SQL platforms that allow for software to access the content. More modern platforms now offer API access and server rendered templates.
The comparison between HTML and CMS is valid when thinking about the trading between the two platforms. Hope that helps!
The Core dna team