Once the website’s needs are addressed, the next important aspect the developers need to address is; choosing the most appropriate web stack for the application. Web stacks are tools that consist of an OS, database software, web server, and a programming language for developing both front end and back end. MEAN.Js is one of the most widely used tech stacks for building web applications and the components include MongoDB as the Database layer, Express.js as the server-side application framework, Angular.js as the client-side application framework, and Node.js as the server-side environment.
The following is a list of a few of the most widely used MEAN stack CMS that developers commonly use to build their site applications.
Strapi
Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that is built with 1001% Javascript and is fully extendable and offers flexible customization. The API allows developers to build their applications faster by providing them the freedom to use their favorite tools.
The CMS allows teams to manage all types of content autonomously and distribute it from the CMS to other platforms such as Websites, Mobile apps, or other devices easily.
Pros:
- Highly flexible and customizable
- Ease of installation
- Simple to modify backend code and get it back up online as fast as possible.
Cons:
- Not many plugins
- Still in the development stage
- No migrations of data are available
Meanie CMS
Meanie is an open-source website CMS and blogging platform that uses MEAN stack to power its platform, which at this moment is able to serve over 200,000 page views per month and that too on a mere price of $5. It is designed to be easily customizable for web developers which are neatly organized into two top level folders i.e: server and client-side code
Pros:
- Easy to use and deploy
- Enhanced security
- Simple to modify code and get the site back up online
Cons:
- Since it’s still in the development stage, there are not many plugins available
- At present, it is only accessible by hosting server on DigitalOcean
- Not proper documentation.
Keystone
Keystone is a powerful CMS framework that has been providing robust CMS support, and other than providing CMS structures, Keystone also offers, developers, the options to build RESTful APIs, online forums, and e-commerce applications which can all be managed through its simplified Admin UI.
Pros:
- Auto-generated admin UI makes it easy to complete tasks
- Using data models, Keystone can validate forms automatically
- Anything built with Mongo can be built with keystone
Cons:
- No in-built roles systems
- The features and functionalities are not properly documented
- Hard to use for developers with no MVC experience
Ghost CMS
Ghost CMS is a headless open source NodeJs cms which is a powerful blogging platform that is written in JavaScript. Its sophisticated design provides online bloggers/ publications with a simple path to show their content. Large corporations such as Apple, Tinder, Zappos, and much more use Ghost CMS due to its simplicity.
Pros:
- The minimalistic design and the reader-friendly interface makes it very popular among content-generating platforms
- Built-in SEO provides better insight into the site
- Global CDN with Free SSL along with custom email makes it much easier to set up
Cons:
- Expensive
- Requires technical knowledge to host
- Limited themes
Apostrophe CMS
Apostrophe CMS is an open-source free CMS that is widely used by developers all over the world to increase the productivity of web development. It offers in-context live editing along with dynamic visual tools with multisite enablement. The full-stack JS environment enables it to be ready for traditional or headless deployment.
Pros:
Capability to adapt to client desires
Provides quick development without putting performance at risk
Large collection of built-in modules
Cons:
Functions and features are not properly documented
Creating dynamic websites leads to the creation of excess widgets
The developer needs to have an understanding of Node.js in order to work on Apostrophe CMS
Choosing a good CMS is as good as the idea behind website development and different needs require different CMS as each and every CMS has its own advantages and disadvantages which can only be figured out after experimenting with it.
