In 2017, while researching the market for existing solutions for creating client-server web applications (websites), I came to the conclusion that October CMS was the only trustworthy product available at the time. Although this system was little known at the time, its popularity was growing rapidly. Developed in 2014 by two enthusiasts, October CMS has already gained a serious community and high ratings on various platforms. However, in my opinion, it still remained underrated.
Having worked with this system for over five years and developed about a dozen websites and services on it, I can tell you a lot about it. However, in this article, I will briefly describe the key features of October CMS that make it useful for developers and businesses.
Key features of October CMS
- Standardization
October CMS is built on Laravel and is a set of libraries for this framework. This means that the system is written in accordance with global standards for development in PHP and Laravel. Unlike other popular systems, such as 1C-Bitrix, where the standards are invented by the developers of the platform itself, October CMS provides a low barrier to entry for those already familiar with Laravel.
In addition, unlike admin panels such as Voyager, Nova, Backpack, and others, OctoberCMS stands out for its simplicity and well-thought-out architecture. It fully complies with Laravel principles not only in terms of code, but also in terms of overall structure. The entire system is transparent, understandable, and convenient.
- Modularity
Over the years, I have had to design many architectures for various projects. Among all the approaches, I particularly highlight DDD (Domain-Driven Design) and Porto for their amazing modularity. October CMS supports these approaches thanks to its plugin system. This modular structure makes it easy to separate business logic from service mechanics, ensuring system scalability without significant effort.
- Simplicity
October CMS stands out for its simplicity and convenience. After working with Joomla, WordPress, HostCMS, and other systems, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and fast it is to develop projects on October CMS. Of course, like any platform, it has its own peculiarities, but there are far fewer of them than with most competitors. Most issues can be easily resolved by referring to the official documentation, which is comprehensive and accessible.
- Community
The October CMS user community brings together professionals who value this tool for its capabilities. Mutual assistance and friendliness are at their best here.
- Accessibility for every developer.
You can start using October CMS completely free of charge, and there are several options for purchasing a license. The standard cost is $29 per year, but if you are a plugin developer, for example, you can purchase a license for as little as $9. To get a license at a reduced price, you need to develop at least one free plugin that will gain popularity and usefulness among users (this will be decided by other developers). When the license expires, the site continues to work as before, and even the core (Laravel) is updated, but the plugins are no longer updated (however, they can be updated manually).
Although the license requires a small financial investment, I consider this a great benefit, as October CMS has assembled a team of professional developers thanks to these contributions. As a result, the quality of the code has greatly improved, as has the speed of integration of new features.
Conclusion
October CMS is a tool that is suitable for both simple websites and complex business solutions. Thanks to its architecture, modularity, and active development, it has become my go-to choice for most projects. This system not only simplifies development, but also inspires me to share my experience and show its capabilities to others.
