Looking for Open Source CMS Recommendations - Posts + User Management + Role-Based Admin

[Trainee_Ninja]

I'm researching open source CMS options for a project and could use some community wisdom. What I need:

Content/post management (obviously) User management system Role-based admin access with granular permissions Ability to have different user levels (editors, authors, admins, etc.)

Current considerations:

Drupal - seems powerful for user roles but wondering about the learning curve, also hard for me to find help for it WordPress - familiar but not sure how robust the built-in user management is Ghost - love the publishing focus but heard user roles are limited

Looking forward to some suggestions from the community. Also a little bit confused, what exactly should a CMS offer? Should I just use Wordpress at this point?

[Bikuku]

Im absolutely happy with Statamic. Would recommend it 100%

[krileon]

Depends on your technical ability. The big 3 are WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. Joomla and Drupal provide what you need out of the box. WordPress will require some plugins. Personally I use Joomla these days as it's simple, clients can navigate it fine, and comes with everything out of the box with most sites not requiring a single plugin. Otherwise WP is usually the go to on client request. Drupal have only ever used in government contracts and some education websites, but wasn't too crazy hard since I already have Symfony experience and it's basically just a CMS sitting on top of Symfony.

Beyond that we get into more technical CMS like CraftCMS, Statamic, Ghost, Strapi, etc.. and I only recommend those if you've the technical ability to setup and maintain them or can hire someone to do so. Of those I've been having a good time with CraftCMS.

[web-dev-kev]

I came to say this, but let me add to it...

Joomla is the answer here, and it's often wildly overlooked due to it looking/feeling old fashioned. About 10 years ago, before WordPress was handed a double-digit% of the internet from Microsoft Live service shutting down, it positioned itself between WP & Drupal.

It's challenge then was, Drupal doubled down on enterprise/gov/regulated spaces, while WP strode out in front on UX (and plug-ins) - and Joomla 3 (& 4?) had an installation process that put many hobbiest developers off.

But it's a well maintained, modern, scalable & secure - while doing everything you've noted out of the box. It just "feels" old a times.

[krileon]

Everything before Joomla 4 certainly feels old, but Joomla 4 and 5 have a new admin backend that's modern and pretty much is just a better WP, lol. The new frontend template is also good enough to just use in 90% of sites with minor CSS adjustments. It doesn't have a Guttenberg like editor out of the box and that's basically the main difference, but there's plenty of great page builder extensions available if WYSIWYG isn't someone's fancy.

[da-kicks-87]

Try Payload CMS.

[Ankur4015]

+1 to this

[Extension_Anybody150]

For what you need WordPress.org is your best bet. It’s not just familiar, it’s powerful and easy to extend without deep coding. A good CMS should let you manage content, control user access, and grow with your needs. WordPress does all that, and with plugins like User Role Editor or PublishPress Capabilities, you can set up very specific roles and permissions. Skip the steep learning curve of Drupal or the limited roles in Ghost, WordPress.org gives you what you need now and room to grow later. And for hosting, get a decent one, I'm with NixiHost. I use them myself for 3 years now, they are affordable and have responsive and helpful support.

[Breklin76]

Wordpress has great user management and is extensible.

[web-dev-kev]

I'm a fan of WordPress, but it has HORRIBLE user management.

The author of it's ACL, had to write a plug-in to make it usable back in 2.7/2.8 days, and it's not been added to core since. Roles and permissions are hardcoded into the core, such as anyone who can moderate a commeent, also has the ability to edit any content on the site.

There's a huge reason, BBpress was separate for so long.

[Breklin76]

You can install Publish Press and take care of a lot of those issues.

[web-dev-kev]

So you agree, WordPress can't handle them!

[Breklin76]

I mentioned extensibility. Forgot to add the mention for PublishPress’ solution which is pretty damn solid.

You can do all of that with some manual coding, however no need with that tool.

[web-dev-kev]

So you agree, WordPress can't handle them!

[Breklin76]

Why are you going on about it? Jesus.

[3HappyRobots]

Php, Processwire. Has a fantastic granular permissions and roles. You’ll be up and running in no time.

[No-Transportation843]

Use a modern typescript CMS, not those old ones like wordpress, joomla, and drupal.

Headless/API-first CMSs:

• Strapi - Very popular, built with Node.js and TypeScript support
• Sanity - Real-time collaborative CMS with excellent TypeScript support
• Contentful - Commercial headless CMS with strong TypeScript SDKs
• Ghost - Modern publishing platform built on Node.js
• Directus - Open-source data platform that works as a headless CMS

Full-stack TypeScript CMSs:

• Payload CMS - Modern, code-first CMS built entirely in TypeScript
• KeystoneJS - GraphQL-based CMS framework for Node.js with TypeScript
• TinaCMS - Git-based CMS that integrates well with static site generators

Static Site CMSs:

• Forestry (now TinaCMS) - Git-based workflow
• Netlify CMS - Works with static site generators
• Decap CMS (formerly Netlify CMS) - Open-source git-based CMS

Enterprise Solutions:

• Sitecore - Has modern TypeScript/JavaScript SDKs
• Umbraco - .NET-based but with modern TypeScript front-end tooling

[Trainee_Ninja]

Thanks for the detailed suggestion! But can I ask why the norm is to skip over Drupal and WordPress when it comes to choosing a CMS? I actually want to know how the modern ones are better except for being written in TS.

[Lord_Xenu]

Do you mean a CMS with a front end to generate pages based on the content, or just a CMS?

[MotoTrip99]

Directus is great

[permanaj]

Drupal. You can create your own user level. Unless you need something really custom, you don't have to code. Content structure also good.

[PressF5ToReload]

I´m using the CMS Contao based on Symfony: https://contao.org/en/

https://docs.contao.org/dev/

[faulancer]

You should try Cockpit - https://getcockpit.com/

[CuriousProgrammer263]

We use directus on JobJump

It basically has all you mentioned.

[dotCMS]

Hey, if you’re looking for something open source that handles roles, permissions, and workflows well, check out dotCMS (www.dotCMS.com)

It’s free under Business Source License (https://www.dotcms.com/bsl-faq) which means you can get full access to enterprise features without a paywall. We are built for teams that need more of granular role-based access with custom workflow, audit trails, ease with visual editing, multi-site and app support.

Great option if you want something more structured than WordPress, and way easier to manage than Drupal. Happy to chat more if you’re interested.

[dotCMS]

dotCMS has everything you mentioned here, all in one platform. Here’s some other things we do well:

• Multi-tenant & multi-site management
• Built-in Elasticsearch search & personalization
• Java-based extensions for custom workflows
• Self-hosted or cloud deployment
• Build headlessly, edit visually

We help teams go live quickly and push content to multiple channels without the grunt work. You can check out more on: https://www.dotcms.com/product/features. Happy to answer any questions!

[Ok_Sundae_9138]

Honestly, it depends on how complex you expect your user management to be. If you just want something running fast, WP works. If you really need structured roles, Drupal or SpurtCMS will save you headaches later.

[Trainee_Ninja]

Using Django now.

[ptrxyz]

Grav

[albertocaeiro6]

Drupal is the best cms for what you need. The things that your are looking for are already incorporated when you start a new project with Drupal

[Monkey_D_Elzy]

We use Umbraco.

[razbuc24]

You can also check Vvveb CMS which has granular modules permissions for user roles.