We've configured content architecture for dozens of projects on Craft CMS and know how to avoid rework. Choosing the wrong Section or Entry Type leads to having to redo the URL structure, templates, and migrations a month later. For example, if you initially choose a Channel for a product catalog, but later need a hierarchy (categories 3 levels deep), you'll have to change the type to Structure, move all entries, and set up redirects from old URLs to new ones. That means hours of work and risks for SEO. Understanding the differences between Section types reduces design time and simplifies maintenance.
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Section Types
| Section Type | Characteristics | Example Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | A collection of entries without hierarchy | Blog, news, reviews |
| Structure | Hierarchical pages with manual sorting | Documentation, catalog with subcategories |
| Single | One unique entry, no slug | Homepage, About, Contact |
Channel — a collection of entries without hierarchy. Blog, news, products, job listings. URL pattern: /blog/{slug}. Ideal for a feed of homogeneous content. You can use different Entry Types inside — for example, for articles and podcasts.
Structure — hierarchical pages with nesting and manual sorting. Documentation, catalog with subcategories. URL: /services/web-development/landing-pages. Structure is better than Channel when you need nesting — for example, for a product catalog with subcategories up to 3 levels deep. However, queries to the tree can become a bottleneck — use caching or level() in Twig to limit the query set.
Single — one unique entry. Homepage, About, Contact. No slug, no archive. Use for static pages. Note: if you need multiple versions (e.g., a page for each site in multisite mode), use a Structure Section with one entry — that gives more flexibility.
How to Choose a Section Type?
The choice depends on the nature of the content. For flat collections use Channel, for hierarchies use Structure, for unique pages use Single. If you're unsure, start with Channel — it's the most flexible option and can be easily expanded later. But remember: migrating from Channel to Structure is labor-intensive, so it's better to think through possible structural complications in advance.
What Are Entry Types and How to Set Them Up?
Each Section can have multiple Entry Types with different field sets. This allows flexible management of different content formats in the same section. Example for a Blog Section:
Section: blog (Channel) ├── Entry Type: article │ └── Fields: body (Matrix), readingTime (calculated), podcast (false) ├── Entry Type: podcast │ └── Fields: audioFile (Asset), transcript (Redactor), duration (Number) └── Entry Type: video └── Fields: videoUrl (URL), thumbnail (Asset), youtubeId (computed) In Twig, differentiate display by type:
{% switch entry.type.handle %} {% case 'article' %} {% include '_blog/_article' %} {% case 'podcast' %} {% include '_blog/_podcast' %} {% case 'video' %} {% include '_blog/_video' %} {% endswitch %} How to Set Up Project Config for Sections?
Use YAML files for section configuration — this simplifies deployment and version control. Refer to the official documentation on Project Config. Example for a blog:
# config/project/sections/blog.yaml name: Blog handle: blog type: channel enableVersioning: true defaultPlacement: end propagationMethod: all siteSettings: default: hasUrls: true uriFormat: 'blog/{slug}' template: blog/_entry enabledByDefault: true entryTypes: article: name: Article handle: article hasTitleField: true titleTranslationMethod: site fieldLayout: - type: craft\fieldlayoutelements\TitleField - type: craft\fieldlayoutelements\CustomField fieldUid: [uid-of-body-field] - type: craft\fieldlayoutelements\CustomField fieldUid: [uid-of-categories-field] How to Set Up Structure with Nesting?
For Structure, specify maxLevels to limit depth. For example, for a three-level catalog:
Section: services (Structure) ├── maxLevels: 3 ├── enableVersioning: true └── defaultSort: structure (manual sorting in tree) Querying child elements:
{# Get all descendants of the current page #} {% set children = craft.entries() .section('services') .descendantOf(entry) .level(entry.level + 1) .orderBy('lft asc') .all() %} How to Set Up Translations for Sections?
In multisite mode, it is important to correctly configure translationMethod:
| Method | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| none | Same value for all sites | Brand name |
| site | Different value per site | Product name |
| language | Different value per language | Text in language |
| siteGroup | Different value per site group | Regional settings |
The choice of method depends on the scenario. For example, for a "product name" field, use site if the product is localized, or none if the name is shared across all languages.
Practical tip: caching the structure
To avoid N+1 queries when rendering the tree, use{% cache %} or preload entries with with(). For large catalogs (1000+ entries), consider Elasticsearch or Meilisearch for full-text search.
Why Order Section Setup from Us?
Our experience — 5+ years developing on Craft CMS, over 50 successful projects. We use proven configurations, guarantee stability and performance. Setting up 5–8 Sections with Entry Types takes 1–2 days. For complex content architecture, contact us — we will evaluate your project within 1 day.
What's Included in the Setup?
- Development of Sections and Entry Types architecture
- Project Config configuration (YAML)
- Field and translation setup
- Creation of basic display templates
- Content structure documentation
- Post-launch support
Get a consultation on your project — we will select the optimal architecture.