Why Build Your Own CMS?
Commercial CMS platforms like WordPress or Drupal are great for most use‑cases, but they can become bloated or overly opinionated when you need:
- Ultra‑fast custom front‑ends
- Fine‑grained security controls
- Micro‑service architecture
- Unique content models that don’t fit a CMS out of the box
Architectural Overview
The core of a lightweight CMS usually consists of:
- Headless API – REST or GraphQL endpoints for CRUD operations.
- Admin UI – A React/Vue/Vanilla app that consumes the API.
- Persistence Layer – A relational DB (PostgreSQL) or NoSQL (MongoDB).
- Auth & Permissions – JWT tokens, role‑based access control.
Getting Started – A Minimal Example
Below is a tiny Node.js + Express API that stores articles in memory. In production you’d swap the memory store for a DB.
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
app.use(bodyParser.json());
let articles = []; // In‑memory store
app.get('/api/articles', (req, res) => {
res.json(articles);
});
app.post('/api/articles', (req, res) => {
const { title, body } = req.body;
const newArticle = { id: Date.now(), title, body, createdAt: new Date() };
articles.push(newArticle);
res.status(201).json(newArticle);
});
app.listen(3000, () => console.log('CMS API running on port 3000'));
Notice how the API is intentionally lightweight. The admin UI can now consume these endpoints via fetch('/api/articles').
Admin UI – A Simple Form
Below is a vanilla JS example that lets you create articles. No build step, just pure HTML, CSS and JS.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head><title>CMS Admin</title></head>
<body>
<h1>Create Article</h1>
<form id="articleForm">
<input type="text" id="title" placeholder="Title" required><br>
<textarea id="body" placeholder="Content" rows="5" required></textarea><br>
<button type="submit">Publish</button>
</form>
<script>
const form = document.getElementById('articleForm');
form.addEventListener('submit', async e => {
e.preventDefault();
const title = document.getElementById('title').value;
const body = document.getElementById('body').value;
await fetch('/api/articles', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
body: JSON.stringify({ title, body })
});
alert('Article published!');
form.reset();
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
With the API running locally, save the file as admin.html and open it in a browser.
Scaling Tips
- Persist data with a real database and use migrations.
- Implement caching (Redis or HTTP cache headers) for read‑heavy workloads.
- Use a CDN for static assets and pre‑rendered pages.
- Secure your API with OAuth2 or API keys.
- Document your API with OpenAPI or GraphQL introspection.
Final Thoughts
Building your own CMS gives you control over every layer – from data model to UI. The trade‑off is maintenance overhead, but with modern tooling and a modular architecture it can be a highly rewarding endeavor.
Happy coding, and feel free to drop a comment below or email me if you hit a snag.