Concrete5

Concrete5 (now known as Concrete CMS) is an open-source content management system written in PHP. Its distinguishing feature is editing content directly on the page preview — the editor clicks the element they want to change and modifies it in place, without switching to a separate panel. This approach, called in-context editing, makes Concrete5 exceptionally friendly for non-technical people.

How Concrete5 works

A page in Concrete5 is built from areas and blocks. Areas are designated zones of the template, while blocks are self-contained content components — a paragraph of text, a photo gallery, a form or a map. The editor drags blocks into chosen areas and assembles the page like building with bricks, seeing the result instantly.

The system manages permissions at the level of individual pages and elements, allowing precise control over who can edit which part of the site. Functionality is extended through add-ons and themes available in the official marketplace. Content and configuration are stored in a MySQL database, and the whole thing runs on a standard PHP environment.

Practical applications

Concrete5 is most often chosen for sites managed day to day by people without a technical background.

• Corporate and institutional sites — easy content updates by marketing staff.
• Sites with a complex permission structure — access control at the page level.
• Portals requiring intuitive editing — where ease of use is essential.

To run Concrete5 you only need typical hosting with PHP and a MySQL database. Although the system is less popular than WordPress, it is an interesting alternative wherever live content editing convenience is key.