Why ProcessWire is the best CMS for your website
Dear company owner, dear website owner,
Based on preliminary discussions about what your requirements for a new website are, you have been offered the implementation of a new website by us or another provider.
ProcessWire is recommended as the CMS for the new site,
because it is so simple and flexible and can be tailored to your needs.
But you have concerns
You or your IT/project managers have some reservations about this CMS. Most of these reservations will certainly be dispelled after reading this blog article.
Some concerns that are often cited are:
You have heard that ProcessWire is relatively unknown or not widely used
We depend on ProcessWire from service provider XY... don't we?
I am familiar with WordPress, do I have to learn how ProcessWire works?
The arguments cited here will show that:
ProcessWire is technically superior to other systems because it is more modern and flexible
the training effort for operation is low, as there is a flat learning curve
it is simple and well documented
The ProcessWire community is open-minded and willing to pass on know-how
ProcessWire saves money (through faster development and operation)
Most websites use WordPress
There are also many people driving a VW Golf (quite popular in Germany, but you could enter another mainstream car name here). However, this does not necessarily mean that you have to make the same choice.
It is important that you choose a CMS which meets your individual requirements and that the desired functions can be implemented easily.
In the course of this article, you will see that ProcessWire can be used to quickly and easily develop functionalities that would not be possible with other systems or would only be possible with very high costs.
You have heard that ProcessWire is relatively unknown or not widely used
This raises the question of why this is a relevant criterion? Is it primarily about the fact that "in the case of cases", another agency can take over the website?
ProcessWire is used on many websites. A curated list of over 720 websites can be found ProcessWire's showcase. Or take a look at publicwww which lists over 10.000 sites that are powered by ProcessWire.
Of course, these are not all websites that run on ProcessWire, because not every developer/agency submits their websites to this list.
Here are some prominent websites based on ProcessWire:
With ProcessWire we depend on developer XY... don't we?
No, there are a large number of developers who develop for ProcessWire. A list can be found at http://directory.processwire.com/developers/
The ProcessWire API requires only know-how in PHP and is well documented. The programming is based on a simple API similar to jQuery. You could say: If you can do jQuery, you can do ProcessWire. And there are considerably more developers than those who know Typo3. As template languages Smarty, Twig or pure PHP are available.
In other words: Any developer who knows PHP can continue to develop your website.
How sure is it that ProcessWire will be further developed?
ProcessWire's main developer, Ryan Cramer, says (literally) he won't give up ProcessWire until he dies. It secures his livelihood and is his "baby", so to speak. In addition, there are several core developers and contributors who could and would continue the project.
Further development with other systems such as WordPress, Drupal or Typo3 is not guaranteed, and even with closed source solutions there is no guarantee that the manufacturer will provide support forever. The disadvantage of Closed Source is that nobody could or may develop this software further.
ProcessWire is performant!
Even on sites with millions of pages, the performance is higher than with other systems.
A developer's comment from the ProcessWire community:
"I am currently managing a PW site with 2 million+ pages. It's admirably fast, and much, much faster than any other CMS we tested."
Nickie
ProcessWire developer
Technically and conceptually superior
Most websites use the same elements. However, there are often individual requirements.
Your website should be modern, user-friendly, flexible, responsive and up-to-date. These conditions apply not only to the frontend (i. e. the visible website) but also to the backend in which the content is entered.
The decision to use ProcessWire as a CMS is based mainly on the functionalities you require, which would not be possible with other systems or would only be possible with very high costs.
I am familiar with WordPress, do I have to learn how ProcessWire works?
No, because ProcessWire is easy to understand!
In general, ProcessWire has clear strengths in the simplicity of operation for editors. In contrast to other systems, ProcessWire allows even inexperienced users to quickly find their way through the very clear structure. From our point of view it is possible with a short guide, without the need for expensive and costly training courses, to enable editors to edit content. But previous customers report again and again that they didn't need any instructions, because everything is easy to understand.
Open Source and Standards
ProcessWire is open source and its source code openly available. In addition to the main developer, dozens of contributors are also involved in the development of the system. ProcessWire is based on standard technologies such as PHP and MySQL. It can be further developed by any experienced PHP developer.
Various German and international agencies take an active part in the further development, be it financially or with their own expansions.
ProcessWire is safe and secure
There is no (documented) security issue for ProcessWire 3. x
Updateability and extensibility
The most needed functions are already available without plugin. With other systems, various functions such as multilingualism or responsive images must be retrofitted with plug-ins. These plugins also pose a potential security risk and must be kept up to date with updates. Feel free to check the monthly mandatory updates for WordPress (because of fixed security problems). This increases the maintenance effort of the system, because it has to be checked again and again if the plugins are compatible with the website.
With ProcessWire, for example, multilingualism already exists in the system. ProcessWire also offers modules to extend the basic functionality of ProcessWire, which in most cases are based on the ProcessWire API and therefore remain compatible with newer versions. So you don't have to worry about the constant updates.
ProcessWire updates are quick and painless. Usually it is only the replacement of a folder. A check of the correct functionality after an upgrade is of course a must, as with any other system. But so far we have not found any incompatibilities after an update (unlike other CMS).
Extend or change functions
You can change or overwrite existing ProcessWire functions without having to make changes to the core. Thus the system remains updateable even if you adapt it to your individual needs.
The system is developed as a lean, powerful CMF (Content Management Framework). The core is implemented in a clean, object-oriented manner. Most comparable to frameworks such as "Symfony" or "CakePHP", it offers a very user-friendly and intuitive CMS component for entering and managing data.
ProcessWire is continuously and rapidly evolving - driven by the extremely active main developer Ryan Cramer - and the community.
We recommend ProcessWire
As an agency, we deliberately chose ProcessWire over Typo3, Drupal or WordPress as our standard system.
Because ProcessWire is the easiest CMS we have used so far (WordPress, Contao, Drupal, Joomla, Typo3) and the API is easy to use. Furthermore, the operation of the backend is easy for our customers to understand and allows full flexibility.
We predict good growth for ProcessWire in the foreseeable future. The system is spreading very quickly with a consistently positive response.
ProcessWire as a software tool (CMF, framework)
CRM tool
ProcessWire can not only act as a CMS, but also as a software solution. For hrdiamonds, a complete CRM tool based on ProcessWire was developed for in-house administration. The main tasks are managing contacts, projects and finances. It contains the generation of invoices as PDF and displays up-to-date statistics.
Applicant management
A well-known international player in the automotive supplier industry, uses ProcessWire as a software solution for its applicant management. Applications via the website are saved to the software and can be processed there. For example, missing application documents can be requested by e-mail, applicants can be invited for interviews or cancellations can be sent to applicants. Statistics on how many applicants have applied, been rejected or hired are also shown. The company uses the tool in two languages in Germany and Poland.
You can see that ProcessWire is highly flexible in all areas.
ProcessWire saves money
Because the API is very simple and ProcessWire can be easily extended for almost any purpose, the development costs are lower compared to other CMS, with which customization is difficult or costly.
At the same time, the time spent on you as a CMS user is also reduced if you want to change content on your website, as the user interface is easy to understand and perform. Users quickly find their way around and don't have to undergo extensive training.
Thus you save costs during development and operation!
Credits
Special thanks go to Felix Wahner and Benjamin Milde, who helped me to create this article.