Drupal vs Joomla

So you're new to Open Source Content Management Systems and evaluating which is the best for you. What do you look for? How do you rate a CMS's performance. What makes a good CMS?

Two of the Content Management Systems that are often compared are Joomla and Drupal. Firstly, what are they? What are their differences?

Joomla
Joomla is a elegant looking CMS with a powerful and easy to understand Graphical User Interface that's suitable for basic websites to large web applications.

Joomla is easy to install and can get you up and running without any programming at all. It has a flexible menu system and separate HTML/CSS files for easy implementation of your design.

If you're a programmer or need a programmer to extend your Joomla website then Joomla's application programming interface ensures this is possible. When take a look under the hood you'll find an Application Framework which you can plug your modules into. If your requirements are specific, there are lots of extensions which can augment the functionality of your site too.

Joomla's easy installer and admin panel make this a great application for Web Designers. If you can ftp into a server and understand where to find your database login details then you'll be able to get a fully functional Joomla site up and running in a few minutes. The Model/View/Controller architecture means that your HTML and CSS is not tangled up with the application logis that makes Joomla work. In other words: You can apply your Graphic Design without needing to know any PHP.

Drupal
Drupal is a ready to go Content Management System with a strong emphasis on extensibility and flexibility. In contrast to Joomla, it's lightweight and simple which makes it a powerful web application for almost any use.

Drupal's Developer support is excellent and the Drupal Community is very active. The modules available extend it well for applications like ecommerce and image galleries.

If you're an experienced Developer, you'll find the Drupal APIs and hooks into existing functionality allow you to be very creative. This is where Drupal really outstrips joomla. Like Joomla, Drupal has separation of HTML and CSS files also and a powerful theme system which allows you to override the Drupal output almost completely. Some of these theme functions do require you to have a good understanding of the Drupal engine which can be a head spin if you're not experienced. I have once used Drupal to output XML to a touch screen written in Flash.

Which one is for you?
Both these Content Management Systems have their strengths and weaknesses of course.

If you're fluent in PHP or a very experienced Web Developer then I would recommend Drupal without hesitation. The documentation and APIs should get you started quickly though you should be prepared for a steep learning curve.

If you're a good Web Designer but have limited experience with Development then you may find Joomla suits your needs nicely. You'll have good resources available through the Joomla Community and find the GUI-ness of this application a great help.

If your requirements are specific or your considering one of these CMS as a long term solution then you should prepare yourself for the learning curve in Drupal. I have used both these applications and have found that I can say "yes" to my clients more often because of the powerful APIs and modular architecture of Drupal.

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