Wagtail (Content Mangement System) was launched in 2014 and, since then, it has quickly been gaining popularity among developers and content creators. Many companies have a tendency to go with Wordpress when rebuilding their website, this is mainly due to them being unaware of alternatives, like Wagtail, and all that it offers.
In this post, we will explore the many advantages that Wagtail has over Wordpress and why it is a much better choice of CMS when deciding which technology to choose for your next web project.
Flexibility
Firstly, Wagtail is built on the popular Python web framework, Django. This means that developers who are familiar with Django can easily take up Wagtail and start building sites without having to learn a new language or framework. Additionally, Wagtail's integration with Django allows for more flexibility and customization than WordPress's plugin-based architecture.
With Wagtail, developers have complete control over the entire development process, from the front-end design of the website to the back-end database. This gives developers the opportunity to customize their application with more complex features, such as custom database fields, custom user view permissions and more. In addition, the integrated nature of Wagtail and Django allows for easy integration with third-party applications and services, such as payment gateways, search and analytics.
On the other hand, the plugin-based architecture of WordPress is limited in its capabilities and customization, as developers are restricted to the functionality offered by the available plugins. In addition, the integration of third-party applications is a more complicated process with WordPress.
Ease of Use
If WordPress is so popular on the market, it is mainly for its ease of use. However, any user will easily find their way around the content editing interface of Wagtail CMS as well. The interface is simple and intuitive, allowing users to create modular pages easily and quickly. Content creators can select any available content type to create custom pages while viewing live changes through the same interface.
Also considering the importance of mobile devices in users' habits, this same interface allows previewing changes on different screen sizes: mobile, tablet and computer. And this, without even having to publish the changes or open a new page to view the draft!
Security
Wagtail also offers better security than WordPress. It is more secure by design, and the system is regularly updated to patch any known vulnerabilities. This means that your website is less likely to be hacked or compromised. The fact that Wordpress uses many plugins, which are all developed separately by 3rd parties, makes it especially vulnerable to attacks since hackers often-times use these plugins as an entry way to gain access to the website since many of them are not secure. Wagtail, on the other hand, does not use these 3rd party plugins which allows the site to be substantially more secure.
Wagtail is built on Django, which is a highly secure web framework platform that provides a set of tools that allow developers to create secure websites and applications. Django also has built-in protection against cross-site scripting and SQL injection attacks. In addition, Django automatically generates secure URLs and its forms are also secure by default which is definitely not the case with Wordpress.
Studies have shown that Wordpress is vulnerable to security flaws [1]. A 2019 study [2] found that Wordpress had a 7.3 percent vulnerability rate, compared to only 0.3 percent for Django and 0.4 percent for Wagtail CMS. In addition, the study found that there were over 9,000 known vulnerabilities for Wordpress, compared to only 77 for Django and 54 for Wagtail CMS. This shows that Wordpress is significantly less secure than the Django framework and Wagtail CMS and that it is more susceptible to security breaches.
Wagtail is a Headless CMS
When comparing headless CMSs like Wagtail to traditional CMSs like Wordpress, there are a number of advantages to be gained from using a headless CMS. These include: increased flexibility, easier maintenance, faster development, scalability, improved security, increased control, improved performance, more customization, and better integration.
Traditional CMSs can be more limiting when it comes to customization and integration, which can limit their usefulness in certain applications. Headless CMSs, however, offer more flexibility in these areas, making them a better option for developers looking to create custom content types and integrate with other systems and services.
A headless CMS offers a number of advantages over traditional CMS solutions, including:
- Increased flexibility: With a headless CMS, content can be delivered to any device or platform, allowing for greater flexibility in how content is displayed.
- Easier maintenance: A headless CMS eliminates the need to maintain a separate front-end interface, which can be both time-consuming and costly.
- Faster development: A headless CMS allows for faster development cycles, as the content can be managed in one place and pushed out to multiple devices or channels.
- Scalability: A headless CMS allows for scalability and can easily support large sites with large amounts of content.
- Improved security: As the content is decoupled from the front-end, a headless CMS provides enhanced security as the content is not exposed to the public.
Built in Features
In terms of features, Wagtail offers a more robust set than WordPress. It includes built-in support for SEO, which makes it easy to optimize your website for search engines. It also has an integrated image cropping feature, which allows users to easily crop and resize images to their needs. Additionally, it has a very powerful, integrated, content search feature , Elasticsearch, which allows users to quickly find the content they need in a matter of milliseconds.
Another key advantage of Wagtail is its built-in support for multilingual content. WordPress requires an additional plugin for multilingual support, whereas Wagtail has it built in. This makes it much easier for businesses and global organizations to manage their websites and reach a wider audience. A/B testing is also an amazing, built in, feature in Wagtail which is extremely useful for marketing, something that Wordpress does not have.
Scalability
Wagtail's flexibility and scalability make it an ideal choice for large, complex sites that need to handle considerable amounts of content. With the ability to integrate with other systems, such as e-commerce platforms and analytics tools, Wagtail provides a comprehensive and powerful solution that caters to the needs of websites of all sizes. Moreover, the CMS is designed to scale with your website's needs and can easily grow with your business. This makes it an excellent option for businesses that are looking for a reliable and feature-rich content management system.
Active Developer Community
Finally, Wagtail is an open source CMS, like WordPress. This means that anyone using Wagtail can take advantage of the many resources and support available, and can even easily find experienced developers working with this CMS.
Thanks to a community of experienced developers and users, the platform is constantly evolving, offering users access to the latest updates and features, giving them the ability to fully utilize the CMS and create amazing sites.
Wise technological choice
In conclusion, Wagtail is an incredibly powerful and flexible Content Management System (CMS) that offers many advantages over WordPress. The choice of Wagtail over Wordpress is a clear one. Its seamless integration with the popular Django web framework, its intuitive user interface, its built-in multilingual support, its scalability, A/B testing capabilities, advanced security features, and its vibrant and active developer community make it an excellent choice for any website or application.
With Wagtail's highly customizable features, developers, marketers, and content creators alike can create and manage content with ease, making it a great choice for content-driven projects. And with a wide range of modules and plugins available to extend its capabilities, Wagtail is a more powerful tool than Wordpress that can be used to build dynamic and robust websites and applications.
[1] Source: https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2019/12/wordpress-security-vulnerabilities-are-on-the-rise/
[2] Source: https://www.securityintelligence.com/vulnerabilities-and-exploits-in-wordpress-and-other-cms-platforms/