Today's Deep-Dive: Contao CMS

Hey everybody and welcome to the deep dive. Today we're diving deep into

Contal CMS. You want to know what's all about right? We're gonna dig into all the

details from their official website and even their github page. Sounds like fun.

But before we get into that, I want to give a quick shout out to Safe Server

for supporting this deep dive. If you're thinking about using Contal, they're the

experts who can help you with digital transformation, hosting, all that good

stuff. Oh yeah, they're great. You can check them out at www.safeserver.de.

Awesome. Okay, so let's get into Contal. Imagine you want to build a website. Okay,

I'm imagining it. You've heard of WordPress, right? Sure, yeah. Maybe you even

tried it out, but you're looking for something, I don't know, a bit different.

Something that gives you more control, you know, without being overly complicated.

Right. And that's where Contal comes in. Exactly. Contal is what we call an

open-source content management system, or CMS for short. Think of it as a

powerful toolbox for creating websites and web applications. Yeah. And it's been

around for a while since 2006, quietly powering thousands of websites. Okay, so

it's been around the block. It's not a brand new kid on the block. Yeah. But what

makes Contal stand out from all the other CMS options out there? There's like

a million of them. Well, Contal prides itself on being powerful, accessible, and

open source. And they really emphasize features like security, ease of use,

versatility, and strong community support. But it's not just about, you know, using

those buzzwords. They actually deliver on these promises. Okay, all right. I'm

intrigued. I'm interested. Yeah. Let's break down some of these key features.

Let's start with versatility. What kind of websites can you actually build with

Contal? That's one of the cool things about Contal. It's incredibly versatile.

You can use it to build everything from simple landing pages to complex portals,

e-commerce sites, even large-scale enterprise websites. And they're not just

boasting. Over 175,000 websites have already been built with Contal. Wow,

that's a serious track record. Yeah. But let's talk about something that's

becoming increasingly important these days, data privacy. Right. How does Contal

handle that? Contal takes data privacy very, very seriously, especially with the

GDPR being, you know, such a big deal these days. Yeah, of course. They have

built-in features like double opt-in for subscriptions and data retention

practices that align with legal requirements. So you can be confident

that you're handling user data responsibly. That's a huge relief,

especially for anyone dealing with sensitive information. Now let's not

forget about SEO. Got to get your website found by those search engines. Does Contal

have you covered on that front? Absolutely. Contal has a bunch of built-in

features to help you optimize your website for search engines. You have

control over things like titles, descriptions, and those all-important

meta tags. It even automatically generates an XML sitemap for your website,

making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content. So it's not

just about building a pretty website, it's about making sure people can

actually find it. Now what about accessibility? Is Contal built with

inclusivity in mind? Definitely. Contal is designed to be accessible to

everyone, including people with disabilities. It complies with

accessibility standards like BITV 2.0 and BFSG. Even the admin area itself is

built with accessibility in mind, so managing your website is easy for

everyone. That's great. And how about performance? No one wants a website that

loads at a snail's pace. What's Contal's secret for speed? Contal is built to be,

you know, fast and efficient. They've incorporated features like

compatibility with caching systems, support for the super-fast HTTP2

protocol, and optimized image handling. This means your website will load

quickly, even if it has lots of content or high-resolution images. Awesome, so

Contal's got the speed, it's got the security. But what about user

friendliness? Is it a system that anyone can use, or do you need to be a coding

whiz to manage a Contal website? One of the things that makes Contal stand out

is its user-friendly interface. Even if you're not a tech expert, you can easily

manage your website content, create pages, and even add functionality using their

intuitive drag-and-drop system. So you don't have to be a coder to use it. But

what if you do want to get a bit more technical, you know, like customize

things? Does Contal allow for that level of flexibility? Absolutely. Contal is

built on the Symfony framework, which is known for its power and flexibility. This

means developers can really dive into the code and customize Contal to their

heart's content. And they have access to a massive ecosystem of over 11,000

Symfony bundles. These are like pre-built components that add various

functionalities to the website. Okay, that sounds pretty advanced. So Contal

caters to both beginners and experienced developers. That's pretty impressive. Now

I've got to ask about this Contal Manager I keep hearing about. What's the deal

with that? The Contal Manager is, it's a game changer, especially for those who

might be intimidated by the technical side of things. It's essentially a

graphical interface for managing your Contal installation and extensions. Think

of it as a control panel that simplifies things like installations, updates, and

even recovering from a broken setup. So it's like having a safety net for your

website, making sure things run smoothly. I like that. But one thing that keeps

popping up is this term open source. What does that actually mean for someone

considering Contal? That's a great question. Open source means the code that

makes up Contal is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute.

It's licensed under LGPL 3.0, which means you can use Contal even for commercial

projects without any hefty licensing fees. So you're not locked into any

proprietary systems. You have the freedom to adapt and use Contal however you need.

That's pretty powerful. But where do you go if you want to explore the code itself,

maybe even contribute to its development? That's where Contal's GitHub page comes

in. GitHub is a platform where developers collaborate and share code. On

Contal's GitHub page, you can see how the software is developed, report issues, and

even contribute your own improvements to the project. So it's not just a finished

product. It's a living, breathing project driven by a community. I love that. Now

their GitHub repository is called contoconto. What's in there exactly?

Contoconto is the core of Contal's development. It's where they develop and

maintain the main building blocks of Contal. They call these bundles. Bundles.

Okay, let's unpack that. What are these bundles and what do they do? Think of

bundles as modules or components that provide specific functionalities to

Contal. For example, there's a calendar bundle for managing events, a news bundle

for creating a blog, a form bundle for building forms, and the list goes on. So

Contal is built in a modular way. You can pick and choose the bundles you need for

your specific website. But wait, they specifically say not to use contoconto

in production? What's that about? That's a crucial point. Contoconto on GitHub is

meant for development and contribution. It's like a workshop where they build

and test things before releasing them to the public. You wouldn't want to build

your house in a workshop, right? That makes sense. Yeah. So if I want to build a

live website with Conto, I need to use something else. Exactly. For a live

website, you'd use the individual bundle packages that are specifically designed

and tested for production use. They're stable, secure, and ready for the real

world. Okay, so it's all about using the right tools for the right job. But let's

say I'm a developer and I want to get involved in Contal's development. What's

that process like? Conto makes it pretty straightforward for developers to

contribute. They recommend using the Conto Managed Edition, which is a

pre-configured development environment. Developers can install the Conto Conto

Monorepo using Composer, which is a tool for managing PHP dependencies, and then

run various scripts for code quality checks, testing, and building the website.

So they've streamlined the whole process to make it easier for developers to get

involved. Now before we wrap up this part of our deep dive, let's touch on security

again. If Conto is open source, doesn't it make it more vulnerable to attacks?

Actually, open source software can often be more secure because the code is open

for everyone to scrutinize. Conto has a clear security policy and a responsible

disclosure process where security researchers can report vulnerabilities

without fear of legal repercussions. This transparency actually helps make Conto

more secure. That's good to know. Seems like they've thought of everything. This

has been a pretty thorough look at the basics of Contao CMS, but we're just

getting started. Welcome back to our deep dive into Contao CMS. Last time we

covered a lot of ground from Contao's history and key features to its open

source nature and that powerful Symfone framework it's built on. It was like a

whirlwind tour of everything Contao can do. Yeah, it's a lot. But now it's time to

roll up our sleeves and get a bit more hands-on. Let's talk about what it's

actually like to build a website with Contao. Some good. So, you know, everyone

wants their website to look, I don't know, unique and professional. How does Contao

help you achieve that? Well, one of the things that sets Contao apart is its

incredible flexibility. It doesn't force you into pre-designed templates or, you

know, limit your design choices. Instead, it gives you the tools to create a

website that's as unique as your brand. So no cookie cutter websites with

Contao. Right. But how exactly does it give you that level of customization? Is

it something only experienced developers can handle? Contao strikes a great

balance between ease of use for beginners and, you know, advanced

customization for developers. Let's start with the basics. Contao uses a system of

templates and modules, which are like building blocks for your website. Okay, so

you're saying I can mix and match these building blocks to create different

layouts and functionalities, kind of like playing with Legos. Exactly. Contao comes

with a variety of pre-built modules for common things like text, images, galleries,

forms, and more. You can drag and drop these modules onto your pages and arrange

them however you like. Sounds pretty intuitive. But what if I want to go

beyond the pre-built options? Can I create my own custom modules or modify

the existing ones? Absolutely. That's where Contao's flexibility really shines

for developers. If you're comfortable with code, you can use PHP and Twig, which

is a powerful templating language, to create entirely new modules tailored to

your specific needs. So it caters to both ends of the spectrum. Those who prefer a

visual drag-and-drop approach and those who want to get their hands dirty with

code. What about the overall design? Does Contao dictate how my website should

look or do I have complete control over the aesthetics? Contao takes a very

hands-off approach when it comes to design. It doesn't impose any design

restrictions giving you complete creative freedom. You can use any front-end

framework you prefer like Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS or even build your own

custom CSS from scratch. So I could create a website that looks like, I don't

know, a minimalist tech blog or like a vibrant online store or anything in

between. Exactly. Contao provides the foundation and the structure but you're

the architect of your website's look and feel. That's awesome. It's like having a

blank canvas and a box of tools. You can create whatever you can imagine. Yeah and

here's another powerful feature that helps with design consistency. Contao

allows you to create custom themes. Themes like the ones you see in WordPress.

What's the advantage of using themes? Themes allow you to, you know, package all

your design elements, layouts, and style sheets into a reusable package. This

makes it easy to switch between different designs or even share your

design with others. So if I'm a designer I could create a Contao theme and make

it available for others to use. Exactly. There's a thriving community of Contao

developers and designers who create and share themes extending the platform's

capabilities even further. This is starting to sound like a designer's

dream. Hmm. But let's shift gears a bit and talk about content. After all a

website is only as good as the content it delivers, right? Absolutely. And Contao

excels in content management as well. It offers a user-friendly interface for

creating and managing your website's content, whether it's blog posts, articles,

product descriptions, you know, whatever. Okay, walk me through the content

creation process in Contao. What's it like for someone who's maybe not a tech

expert? Contao's content editor is designed to be intuitive and familiar,

even for beginners. It works similarly to popular word processors like Microsoft

Word or Google Docs, so you can easily format text, add images, create links, and

embed videos without needing to know any code. So it's like writing a document on

your computer, but instead of saving it to your hard drive, you're publishing it

directly to your website. That's a great analogy, and Contao goes beyond basic

content creation. It offers features like versioning, which allows you to, you know,

keep track of changes to your content and revert back to previous versions if

needed. You know, we've all accidentally deleted something important or made a

change we regretted. Versioning can be a real lifesaver. I can definitely see how

that would be useful. Yeah. Is there anything else that sets Contao apart

when it comes to content management? One of Contao's standout features is its

powerful content element system. Think of content elements as smaller reusable

units of content that you can insert into your pages. Give me an example. How

would I use content elements in like a real-world scenario? Okay. Let's say

you're building a website for a restaurant. You could create content

elements for things like, you know, the menu, opening hours, a photo gallery,

customer testimonials, things like that. Okay, and then I could mix and match

these elements on different pages throughout the website. Precisely. You

could have a page dedicated to the menu, another page for contact information, and

so on. And because these content elements are reusable, if you update the menu, for

example, the changes will automatically be reflected across all pages where that

element is used. That's incredibly efficient. It saves so much time and

ensures consistency across the website. But what about organizing all this

content? Does Conteo help with content structuring and navigation? Absolutely.

Conteo has a flexible page structure system that allows you to create

hierarchical pages and organize them into menus and sub menus. You can easily

drag and drop pages to reorder them or change their nesting levels, just like

arranging files and folders on your computer. So I can build a clear and

logical navigation structure that makes it easy for visitors to find what they're

looking for. Exactly. And to further enhance navigation, Conteo supports

breadcrumb navigation, which shows visitors their current location within

the website's hierarchy. It's like those trail markers you see on hiking paths

helping you find your way back. That's a great way to prevent visitors from

feeling lost. And speaking of finding things, does Conteo have a good search

function? It does. Conteo has a built-in search engine that allows visitors to

easily search your website's content using keywords. This is essential for any

website with a decent amount of content, as it helps visitors quickly find what

they're looking for. That makes sense. But what about managing different types of

content like, you know, blog posts versus static pages? Can Conteo handle that? Yes

it can. Conteo has a dedicated news module specifically designed for

creating and managing blog posts or news articles. You can categorize your posts,

add tags, schedule their publication, and even manage comments and track backs. So

I could easily run a blog within my Conteo website without needing any

external plugins or services. Exactly. It's all seamlessly integrated within the

platform and here's where it gets really interesting. Conteo allows you to create

custom content types. Custom content types? What would I use those for? Let's

say you're building a website for a real estate agency. You could create a custom

content type specifically for property listings with dedicated fields for

things like price, number of bedrooms, square footage, and so on. This way

you're not trying to fit square pegs into round holes, you know. You have a

system perfectly tailored to the type of content you're managing. Okay, so I'm

creating these custom content types, but then how do I display them on the

website in a visually appealing way? That's where Conteo's design

tools and flexibility come in. You can use those pre-built modules we talked

about earlier, or even create your own custom modules to display your custom

content types exactly how you want. That's incredibly powerful. It seems like

Conteo has thought of everything when it comes to content management, but there's

one more important aspect we need to discuss. User management. You're right.

User management is crucial, especially for websites with multiple contributors

or restricted areas. For starters, how does Conteo handle user roles and

permissions? Can I control who has access to what parts of the website?

Absolutely. Conteo has a very granular user permission system that allows you

to define different user roles and assign specific permissions to each role. You

have complete control over who can do what within your Conteo website. So I

could have administrators who have full control over the website, editors who can

create and edit content, and even guest users with limited access. That's

precisely. You can tailor the permissions to match your website's workflow and you

know ensure that each user has the appropriate level of access. This is

essential for any website with multiple people working on it. That make perfect

sense. But what about security? How does Conteo protect user accounts and

sensitive information? Conteo takes security very seriously. It uses strong

password hashing algorithms to protect user passwords and offers features like

two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security. Two-factor

authentication, that's where you need to enter a code from your phone in addition

to your password, right? Exactly. It makes it much harder for unauthorized users to

gain access to accounts, even if they manage to steal a password. This is a

must-have feature for any website that handles sensitive user information.

That's reassuring. It seems like Conteo has all the bases covered when it comes

to user management and security. But before we wrap up this part of our deep

dive, there's one more thing I'm curious about. Multilingual websites. Ah, yes.

Multilingual support is becoming increasingly important in today's

globalized world. And Conteo makes it surprisingly easy to create and manage

websites in multiple languages. Okay, tell me more. How does Conteo handle multiple

languages? Is it a complicated process or can anyone do it? Conteo's approach to

multilingualism is remarkably intuitive. You can configure your website to

support any number of languages and then simply translate your content into each

language. So I don't need to create separate websites for each language. It's

all managed within a single Conteo installation. Exactly. Conteo handles all

the complexities behind the scenes, making it seamless for visitors to switch

between languages. That's impressive. But how does Conteo know which language to

display to a visitor? Conteo is pretty smart. It can automatically detect a

visitor's preferred language based on their browser settings or their location.

Visitors can also manually select their preferred language from a language

switcher, usually displayed as a drop-down menu or a list of flags. That's

a great way to ensure that visitors are presented with content in the language

they're most comfortable with. But what about things like menus, page URLs, and

other elements? Do those need to be translated as well? Absolutely. Conteo

allows you to translate every aspect of your website, ensuring a consistent and

localized experience for visitors in each language. You can even translate

custom content elements and module settings. Wow, they've really thought of

everything. This multilingual support seems like a game-changer for anyone who

wants to reach a global audience. It definitely opens up a world of

possibilities, and it's just one of the many ways Conteo empowers you to build a

powerful, flexible, and user-friendly website that works for you and your

audience. Welcome back to the Deep Dive. We spent the last two parts really

getting to know Conteo CMS, from its core features in flexible design to its

powerful content management system. And we've seen how it can help you build

almost any type of website from a simple blog to a complex, multilingual platform.

Right, exactly. But there's one key aspect of Conteo we haven't really

touched on yet, the community and the whole ecosystem around it. Yeah. So let's

talk about Conteo's community and that vast world of extensions that can really

like supercharge your website. Yeah, you're right. Conteo's community is truly

one of its greatest strengths. It's a passionate and supportive group of

developers, designers, and users always ready to share their knowledge, create

new tools, and help each other out. I love that. It's like having a built-in

support system, you know, like an endless source of inspiration. Let's talk about

those extensions specifically. What exactly are Conteo extensions and how

do they enhance Conteo's core functionality? Well, think of extensions

like apps for your website. They're add-ons or plugins that extend Conteo's

capabilities, you know, in specific ways. Some extensions are simple, like adding

a contact form or a social media feed. Others are more complex, like adding

e-commerce functionality or integrating with third-party services. So if I need a

feature that's not included in Conteo's core, there's a good chance I can find

an extension for it. Yeah, most likely. There are hundreds of Conteo extensions

out there covering all sorts of needs. Whether you want to boost your SEO and

image galleries, manage events, connect with your CRM, there's probably an

extension for that. That's amazing. It's like a giant app store for your website,

but just for Conteo. Where do you even find these extensions? Is there a central

place for all things Conteo extensions? There is. The main hub is the Conteo

extension repository, or as they call it, the ER. The ER. Yep, it's an online

catalog

where developers can submit their extensions. Think of it as the official

app store for Conteo. Okay, so if I want to add a specific feature, I go to the ER,

search for an extension. Sounds easy enough. Exactly. The ER has a search

function where you can filter extensions by category, keywords, or even

compatibility with your specific Conteo version. That's super convenient, but how

do I actually install these extensions? Is it complicated? Requires a bunch of

technical know-how? Not at all. Installing extensions is really easy, thanks to the

Conteo Manager. Remember that control panel we talked about before? You can

browse and install extensions right from there. Oh, okay, so no messing with code

or uploading files manually. That's pretty cool. It really is that simple. The

Conteo Manager streamlines everything, making it easy for anyone to add

functionality to their website. You can even update extensions with just one

click. That's awesome, a huge time saver. But what about quality control? With so

many extensions out there, how can I be sure that an extension is well coded and

won't break my website? That's a valid concern, but luckily the Conteo community

takes quality and security very seriously. Extensions submitted to the ER are

reviewed by experienced developers to make sure they meet certain standards. So

there's like a vetting process to weed out poorly coded or potentially harmful

extensions. Yeah, exactly. And on top of that, the ER displays user ratings and

reviews for each extension. So you can get a sense of what other users think

about it, kind of like checking reviews before downloading an app on your phone.

That's a great way to gauge the quality, see if it's reliable. It sounds like the

Conteo community really plays a vital role in maintaining a high quality

ecosystem. Speaking of the community, let's talk about what makes the Conteo

community so special. Yeah, for sure. You said it's one of Conteo's biggest

strengths. What makes it stand out from other open source communities? It's just

incredibly welcoming and supportive. Everyone's really passionate about the

platform, and they're always happy to help newcomers share their expertise.

There are tons of ways to connect with other Conteo users and developers too,

both online and offline. Oh, like forums, social media groups, maybe even in-person

meetups. Exactly. Conteo has an active forum, great for asking questions, finding

solutions, and connecting with other users. There are also regional Conteo

user groups that organize meetups and workshops. It's a great way to learn from

others, share your experiences, and build relationships. That's fantastic. It's one

thing to have great software, but a supportive community takes it to another

level. Couldn't agree more. It's really what makes Conteo so special. So for

someone who's brand new to Conteo and wants to get started, where's the best

place to begin? The best place to start is Conteo's official website. They have

great documentation, tutorials, guides, a comprehensive reference manual. Really

helpful for getting familiar with Conteo and all its features. Okay, so that's a

good foundation. But what about hands-on learning? Can you try Conteo before

actually using it on a real project? Oh, absolutely. Conteo has a free demo you

can install on your computer or try out on a hosting platform. Gives you a chance

to experiment, explore the features, get a feel for how it works before committing

to a live website. That's a great way to test it out, see if you like it. But what

if you get stuck, need help with something? What are the support options

like? Well, besides the forums, there are many professional Conteo service

providers who offer support, training, and development. So if you need help

building a more complex website or integrating a specific feature, you can

find a Conteo expert to help you out. So there's a whole network of professionals

to help you get the most out of Conteo. That's good to know. This has been an

amazing deep dive into Conteo. We've uncovered so much. Its features,

flexibility, community, and that huge ecosystem of extensions make it such a

powerful platform for building websites. It's been fun. Conteo might not be as

well known as some other CMS platforms, but it's definitely a hidden gem. It

offers this unique blend of power, flexibility, and user friendliness, and of

course that incredible community that's always there to help. Couldn't agree more.

And a big thank you to Safe Server for supporting the deep dive. If you're

looking for a reliable and secure hosting solution for your Conteo website,

dive inspired you to give Conteo a try. Until next time, keep diving deep.

dive inspired you to give Conteo a try. Until next time, keep diving deep.