Key considerations when choosing frameworks for your CMS
When deciding on the types of frameworks, you’re going to use for your website, you need to consider a few things:
- What type of resources do you have?
- Can you handle APIs?
- What are you trying to solve?
- Is it modular and can be easily understood?
- Is there a lot of processing involved?
- Is UX really important?
- Is performance an important factor?
- Are you able to maintain the code?
- Are you going across platforms?
- Do you have the time and resources to learn the framework?
- What type of support does the framework offer?
- Does it have any documentation?
1. What type of resources do you have?
If your business consists of mainly back-end developers, then you’re going to have to use some back-end frameworks to build your solutions.
Also, be aware that back-end developers are generally more expensive because they’re used not simply to create the experience, but also the business logic.
2. Can you handle APIs?
Using a headless system can provide several benefits, but you need to choose the right frameworks to get the most out of it.
Ensure that the back-end framework you use can allow you to connect to other systems to capture information.
3. What are you trying to solve?
Are you trying to solve a business logic problem or a UX issue? Does the framework you’re choosing work best for that scenario?
While using a new framework might seem exciting, you need to remember that it might not solve the problem you’re having, and that’s where your focus should be.
4. Is it modular and can be easily understood?
You don’t necessarily need all of the code that’s included in a framework. With a modular framework, you can choose the functionalities you require for your particular project.
5. Is there a lot of processing involved?
Depending on the type of websites you’re building, such as a sizable B2B marketplace or eCommerce store, you might find yourself processing lots of data or running high volume searches. In a situation like that, you might end up choosing a back-end framework since they are well designed for handling such significant data processing.
6. Is UX really important?
Do you require sliders and drop down menus? Who will be looking at your site, and what might they be doing when they get on it?
Just as back-end frameworks are ideal for processing large volumes of data, front-end frameworks are perfect when it comes to building websites with a beautiful user experience.
7. Is performance an important factor?
If your website will be handling large volumes of traffic and you need it to be consistently up and running fast, then performance might be an essential factor for you.
In this case, you should pick a framework that facilitates high performance and fast loading times.
8. Are you able to maintain the code?
When code is hard to maintain, you can run into issues with spaghetti code that makes it harder for other developers to comb through and fix any bugs or issues. Ideally, it would help if you chose a framework where the code is easy to maintain.
(Spaghetti vs structured sample: Source)
9. Are you going across platforms?
Not every framework is meant for every device. Some frameworks function better on one device compared to another.
Depending on where your content will be displayed, you will need to choose a framework that fits that particular device, whether mobile, desktop, IoT or another channel.
10. Do you have the time and resources to learn the framework?
Each framework is different, with different naming conventions and structure. Choosing a framework with a shallow learning curve can potentially save you and your development team a lot of time.
11. What type of support does the framework offer?
The type of community support available can determine how successful you will be with a framework.
If there’s a solid community, it becomes easier to get answers to your problems. On the other hand, if the community is small, inactive or unfriendly, then you may want to choose another framework instead.
12. Does it have any documentation?
Detailed documentation is a critical component for any web framework. The better the documentation, the easier it is for new developers to start using it, and the faster community growth can be.
On the other hand, poor documentation may leave you confused and scrambling to find an alternative framework very quickly.