What is Craft CMS?

Craft CMS is a content management system developed by Pixel & Tonic. Released as version 1.0 in 2013 (company founded in 2010), Craft has developed a strong following among agencies and designers who prioritise both editorial UX and clean, extensible code.

Craft is designed for professional web teams who want a CMS that doesn’t dictate frontend output while providing editors with an intuitive, customisable authoring interface. It positions itself between WordPress’s simplicity and Drupal’s enterprise focus.

The platform uses a commercial license model with a free Solo tier for single-user projects.

Architecture and Technology

Craft is built on PHP using the Yii 2 framework with a sophisticated content architecture.

Core Components

Control Panel: Highly customisable admin interface
Sections & Entries: Flexible content structure (Channel, Structure, Single)
Fields: Extensive field type system with Matrix blocks
Twig Templating: Clean templating with Twig
GraphQL API: Built-in headless capability (available in all editions)

Content Architecture

Sections: Content containers for different content types
Entry Types: Content blueprints within sections
Matrix Fields: Flexible block-based content
Assets: Media management with image transforms

Typical Use Cases

Craft is commonly used for:

Agency projects: Custom client websites
Marketing websites: Brand and campaign sites
E-commerce: Craft Commerce for online stores
Multi-site installations: Multiple sites from one install
Headless applications: GraphQL backend for apps

Strengths

Authoring experience: Clean, intuitive control panel
Matrix fields: Flexible, block-based content creation
Developer-friendly: Clean code, excellent documentation
GraphQL built-in: Native headless capability
Live Preview: Real-time content previewing
Craft Commerce: Native e-commerce integration
Multi-site: Built-in multi-site management

Limitations and Trade-offs

Commercial license: Not free for most production use
Plugin ecosystem: Smaller than WordPress
Hosting requirements: PHP expertise needed
GraphQL: Native support available
Developer dependent: Building sites requires development skills

SEO, Performance, and Content Governance

SEO

Craft provides comprehensive SEO via plugins like SEOmatic, clean URLs, and flexible routing. XML sitemaps and structured data are available through templates or plugins.

Performance

Efficient queries with eager loading, built-in caching, and optional static caching for fastest delivery.

Content Governance

Granular permissions, drafts and revisions, live preview, and proper multi-environment configuration support.

Tips and Best Practices

Use Matrix fields for flexible page builders
Set up environments properly for deployment workflow
Leverage Craft Commerce for e-commerce rather than plugins
Implement eager loading to optimise template performance
Consider static caching for high-traffic sites

Who Should (and Should Not) Choose Craft

Best Fit For

Agencies building custom client websites
Teams prioritising authoring experience
Projects needing flexibility without bloat
E-commerce with content marketing focus

Not Ideal For

Small budgets sensitive to license costs
Non-technical teams without developers
Simple sites where WordPress suffices
Teams wanting extensive free plugin options

Common Alternatives

WordPress: Larger ecosystem, more accessible
Statamic: Similar philosophy, Laravel-based
Kirby: File-based, simpler licensing
ExpressionEngine: Similar traditional CMS approach

Craft CMS excels for professional web teams who value authoring experience and clean architecture.