Custom CMS Development

Custom CMS Development for Website Content Management

Custom CMS is built when no existing platform fits business logic — or fits but requires so much customization that building your own is simpler. Typical cases: unique data model, non-standard approval workflows, integration with internal corporate systems, performance requirements at tens of thousands of requests per minute.

CMS Components

Minimum modules for functional CMS:

• Content Types — data structure definitions: fields, types, relations
• Content Editor — interface for creating and editing records
• Media Manager — upload, storage, processing images and files
• User & Roles — authentication, authorization, permissions
• Publishing Workflow — drafts, approval, publication scheduler
• API — REST or GraphQL for frontend and mobile
• Audit Log — who changed what and when

Tech Stack

Admin panel typically uses React or Vue. Backend — Laravel, Node.js, Go, or Django.

Example stack:

Backend API:   Laravel 11 + PostgreSQL
Admin SPA:     React 18 + TypeScript + TanStack Query
Media CDN:     S3-compatible storage + imgproxy
Auth:          JWT + refresh tokens

Data Models: Flexibility vs Strictness

Two approaches:

Structured — separate table per content type:

CREATE TABLE articles (
    id         BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    slug       VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE,
    title      JSONB NOT NULL,      -- {ru: "...", en: "..."}
    body       JSONB NOT NULL,
    author_id  BIGINT REFERENCES users(id),
    status     VARCHAR(32) DEFAULT 'draft',
    published_at TIMESTAMPTZ,
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ
);

Pros: indexes, type safety, JOINs. Cons: schema changes need migrations.

EAV/JSONB — fields in JSON:

CREATE TABLE content_items (
    id         BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    type       VARCHAR(64),      -- 'article', 'product'
    data       JSONB NOT NULL,   -- all fields inside
    status     VARCHAR(32),
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ
);

Pros: new fields without migrations. Cons: harder to query.

Hybrid approach — common table with key fields (slug, status, author_id) + JSONB — gives best of both worlds.

Content Editor

Choice affects whole UX:

• Lexical (Meta) — flexible, extensible
• TipTap (ProseMirror-based) — good extension ecosystem
• Slate.js — maximum flexibility
• TinyMCE / CKEditor — familiar Word-like interface

Access Rights

RBAC model based on permissions:

$permissions = [
    'editor'     => ['create:article', 'edit:own:article', 'publish:article'],
    'moderator'  => ['edit:any:article', 'delete:article'],
    'admin'      => ['*'],
];

Content Versioning

CREATE TABLE content_revisions (
    id          BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    content_id  BIGINT REFERENCES content_items(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    data        JSONB NOT NULL,
    author_id   BIGINT REFERENCES users(id),
    created_at  TIMESTAMPTZ
);

Last N revisions stored for each record.

Media Manager

Upload via presigned S3 URL:

Client → POST /api/media/presign → presigned URL
Client → PUT presigned_url (S3) → upload
Client → POST /api/media/confirm → success notice
Server → imgproxy or CloudFront → resize on demand

Timeline

Basic CMS: one content type, editor, media, roles, REST API — 3–4 weeks. Full multilingual CMS with multiple types, versioning, workflow, GraphQL, CDN — 2–3 months.