Netlify vs Netlify CMS: What are the differences?

Introduction

Netlify and Netlify CMS are both popular tools for web development and content management. While they are related, there are key differences between the two that make them distinct from each other.

1. Hosting Platform vs. Content Management System: The main difference between Netlify and Netlify CMS lies in their core functionalities. Netlify is primarily a hosting platform that allows developers to deploy and manage static websites with ease. On the other hand, Netlify CMS is a content management system that runs on top of Netlify and provides a user-friendly interface for content creation and editing.

2. Development Workflow: Netlify focuses on providing a seamless development workflow, allowing developers to easily build, test, and deploy their websites. It offers features like continuous deployment, Git integration, and instant rollbacks. In contrast, Netlify CMS is designed to empower non-technical users to manage content on a website without needing to work with code directly. It provides a user-friendly interface for creating and editing content, with features such as a visual editor and drag-and-drop functionality.

3. Flexibility: Netlify provides a high level of flexibility for developers. It supports a wide range of static site generators and offers extensive customization options through build plugins and integrations with third-party services. Netlify CMS, on the other hand, is more opinionated and tightly integrated with specific static site generators like Gatsby or Hugo. While it offers some degree of customization, it may not be as flexible as Netlify itself.

4. Role-based Access Control: Netlify CMS offers role-based access control, allowing website administrators to define different user roles with specific permissions. This enables more granular control over content editing and publishing. Netlify, on the other hand, does not provide built-in role-based access control features. However, it can be integrated with external authentication providers or identity services to implement user authentication and authorization.

5. Content Storage: Netlify CMS uses a Git-based workflow to store and manage content. This means that content changes are tracked as commits in a Git repository, providing version control and collaboration capabilities. Netlify CMS also supports multiple content backends, including local file storage, Git repository hosting services like GitHub and GitLab, and headless CMS platforms. Netlify, on the other hand, does not directly handle content storage as its primary focus is on hosting and deployment.

6. Extensibility and Customization: Netlify CMS provides an extensible architecture, allowing developers to customize and extend its functionality. It supports custom widgets, editor plugins, and backend extensions, making it possible to tailor the CMS to specific project requirements. Netlify also offers a wide range of integrations and extensibility options through its ecosystem of plugins and APIs, making it highly customizable as well.

In summary, Netlify is primarily a hosting platform that focuses on providing a seamless development workflow for static websites, while Netlify CMS is a content management system built on top of Netlify to empower non-technical users to manage website content. Netlify offers more flexibility and customization options, while Netlify CMS focuses on providing a user-friendly interface and content management features.