What is Contao?

Contao is a flexible and easily ex­pand­able open-source content man­age­ment system (CMS) used to create ac­ces­si­ble and re­spon­sive websites. It features an intuitive user interface that even non-experts can operate with ease. This CMS offers an al­ter­na­tive to larger and more complex systems like Joomla! or TYPO3.

Contao CMS offers powerful features for flexible and ac­ces­si­ble websites

While the CMS Contao hasn’t stepped out from behind the shadow of big content man­age­ment systems yet, it has been gaining a very active community. Currently, more than 175,000 websites have been created with the CMS solution. The open-source software first appeared in 2006 as TypoLight, and four years later, de­vel­op­ers renamed it Contao. The change was made due to the name’s sim­i­lar­i­ty to its com­peti­tor, TYPO3. Contao is a classic web content man­age­ment system that is par­tic­u­lar­ly well suited for creating ac­ces­si­ble websites. Social pub­lish­ing or blog pub­lish­ing is not a primary focus, but blog ex­ten­sions are available.

Technical facts about Contao:

• Pro­gram­ming language: PHP
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB
• Readout in XHTML or HTML 5
• Based on the Symfony web framework (current version based on Symfony 5)
• License: GNU Lesser General Public License

Key features of Contao at a glance:

• Advanced editing func­tion­al­i­ty
• Full-text search engine
• In­te­grat­ed file manager
• Form generator
• Core modules for news and event man­age­ment
• Password-protected member area
• Newslet­ter module
• Mul­ti­lin­gual and multisite support
• Ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty

You can find the download link to the latest version of Contao here.

Pros and cons of the Contao CMS

Comparing CMS platforms is never easy, as the best choice ul­ti­mate­ly depends on your specific use case. Contao offers a range of ad­van­tages that make it es­pe­cial­ly appealing for ac­ces­si­ble and pro­fes­sion­al websites. However, there are also aspects that can present chal­lenges depending on the project’s scope and the user’s ex­pe­ri­ence.

Ad­van­tages include:

• A wide range of features in the core version
• A large selection of extension modules, including the shop system Isotope eCommerce, layouts, and templates
• An intuitive interface and strong ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty features
• Long-term support ensures the system remains up to date
• Support from a strong community and extensive doc­u­men­ta­tion
• The hi­er­ar­chi­cal page structure allows easy man­age­ment of multiple pages and efficient handling of meta tags, redirects, and vis­i­bil­i­ty through the structure tree
• Flex­i­bil­i­ty in designing re­spon­sive and mul­ti­lin­gual websites
• SEO tools such as search engine-friendly URLs and automated XML sitemap gen­er­a­tion make website op­ti­miza­tion easier

Dis­ad­van­tages include:

• Im­ple­ment­ing templates is complex and requires ex­pe­ri­ence
• Larger projects can become difficult to manage clearly
• Social pub­lish­ing and blogging features are less in­te­grat­ed than in other CMS platforms

System re­quire­ments for Contao

There aren’t many re­quire­ments for in­stalling Contao. A web server with PHP and MySQL support is suf­fi­cient. You should have at least PHP version 7.4+ and MySQL version 8.0+ or an equiv­a­lent version of MariaDB available.

The CMS also requires certain PHP ex­ten­sions. These are usually enabled by default in a standard PHP in­stal­la­tion but can the­o­ret­i­cal­ly be disabled by your hosting provider. However, Contao checks whether all required ex­ten­sions are active. An up-to-date list of required PHP ex­ten­sions can be found in the official Contao doc­u­men­ta­tion.

Use cases for Contao

Contao is a versatile CMS that is par­tic­u­lar­ly well suited for medium to large web projects. Companies like Siemens and Deutsche Telekom already use it suc­cess­ful­ly, thanks to its powerful and flexibly ex­pand­able ar­chi­tec­ture. Even less ex­pe­ri­enced users can quickly get started with Contao due to its user-friendly interface. Features such as ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty, SEO tools, and an in­te­grat­ed newslet­ter module make it es­pe­cial­ly at­trac­tive for business websites.

For projects that require even more per­for­mance and security, the Jamstack approach is a great option. This setup combines static pages with dynamic content via APIs and JavaScript, resulting in out­stand­ing per­for­mance. With Deploy Now from IONOS, de­vel­op­ers can ef­fi­cient­ly deploy Jamstack projects from a repos­i­to­ry like GitHub — enabling fast de­ploy­ment and high website per­for­mance, ideal for modern web ap­pli­ca­tions.

Al­ter­na­tives to Contao

Although Contao stands out with many ad­van­tages such as ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty and flexible cus­tomiza­tion options, there are other content man­age­ment systems that should be con­sid­ered depending on your project re­quire­ments. Each CMS has its own strengths and offers specific features that may be par­tic­u­lar­ly well suited for certain use cases.

WordPress – The most popular CMS for simple and scalable websites

WordPress is the world’s most widely used CMS and is ideal for blogs, small business websites, and basic online stores. Thanks to its easy in­stal­la­tion and user-friendly interface, you can quickly create pro­fes­sion­al websites with WordPress — even without prior ex­pe­ri­ence. With a wide variety of plugins and themes, WordPress is easy to extend and customize. While it is es­pe­cial­ly well suited for smaller projects, the right ex­ten­sions can also make it a solid choice for larger websites. IONOS offers Hosting for WordPress plans for a fast start. With user-friendly, AI-powered tools, you can build your website ef­fi­cient­ly and ef­fort­less­ly.

Joomla – Flexible CMS for mul­ti­lin­gual and complex websites

Joomla is a versatile open-source solution, es­pe­cial­ly well-suited for websites that require more complex struc­tures, such as mul­ti­lin­gual portals or community platforms. It offers more cus­tomiza­tion options than WordPress and is ideal for projects that need specific features and a high degree of flex­i­bil­i­ty. However, building a Joomla website requires more time to learn and greater technical expertise. IONOS offers various Joomla hosting plans that allow you to create, host, and manage up to 50 websites using Joomla.

TYPO3 – Powerful CMS for large en­ter­prise projects

TYPO3 is a robust and scalable CMS that is es­pe­cial­ly well suited for large en­ter­pris­es and complex web projects. It offers a wide range of features and ex­ten­sions that enable the creation of highly complex websites. However, TYPO3 requires sig­nif­i­cant technical expertise, and its learning curve is steeper compared to systems like WordPress or Joomla. TYPO3 hosting solutions help make these chal­lenges more man­age­able. It’s an ideal choice for projects where flex­i­bil­i­ty and precise content man­age­ment are essential.

Contao is a flexible CMS for projects of all sizes

• Contao is es­pe­cial­ly at­trac­tive for beginners who don’t want to rely on WordPress.
• With built-in ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty and mul­ti­lin­gual support, the CMS is also well suited for pro­fes­sion­al business websites.
• Supported by an active community and regular updates
• A solid al­ter­na­tive to WordPress, Joomla, and TYPO3, depending on the project’s re­quire­ments
• In­te­grat­ed features for op­ti­miza­tion and com­mu­ni­ca­tion