Comparison of PHP Vs. Drupal Websites
No easy way exists to create a robust website. However, for website administrators who are willing to put in the effort, there are several tools for different levels of technological sophistication. These can range from fully graphical tools such as Drupal and PHP pages the administrator designs and implements himself.
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Content Management Systems
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Content management systems allow website administrators to modify their website and website pages without having to open and edit individual source code files. They usually have a graphical user interface that programmers can log into from a desktop client program or a Web browser. From this interface administrators can add or modify content on individual pages or add new pages entirely. Administrators can program their own management systems with Web scripting languages or use a preexisting management system such as Drupal.
PHP
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PHP is one language that programmers can use to make interactive websites. Because PHP website developers write their own code, they can create precisely the features that they want in exactly the way that they want. PHP websites do, however, require developers to actually put in the work of creating, testing and maintaining their own code. This means additional time before a website can actually launch, and extra work maintaining the site. Tech saavy administrators who want extra control over their site can find it is worth the extra effort.
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Drupal
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Drupal is a content management system whose programmers wrote it in PHP. The software itself is free to download, and gives administrators a graphical interface for editing their websites. The software itself is modular, allowing users to add additional software components to their Drupal sites to enable different features. Administrators set their site's appearance by selecting and uploading theme files that are formatted specifically for Drupal. Drupal is open source, so any developer can create themes and feature modules for Drupal website administrators to use on their own sites.
Hosting
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PHP and Drupal are free to download and use, so administrators who have their own servers or virtual private servers can install and configure the software themselves at no cost. When it comes to shared hosting services, where administrators can only access servers indirectly through the service's Web portals, administrators have to find a service that offers Drupal website hosting. Fewer services offer Drupal hosting than PHP capabilities, and even then administrators have to pay more for Drupal than PHP.
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References
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