Wordpress vs Backdrop - A Comparison

Backdrop CMS and WordPress are both content management systems (CMS), but with different philosophies, histories, and they each offer distinct user experiences. In this article, we will outline some of the key differences between the two platforms, covering aspects such as usability, functionality, community, security, performance, and flexibility with data.

1. Origins and Philosophy:

• WordPress: It started as a blogging platform in 2003 but has evolved into a full-fledged CMS. The focus of WordPress is on ease of use, allowing users to create and publish content easily. It has a large ecosystem of plugins and themes and places a strong emphasis on backward compatibility.
• Backdrop CMS: This CMS is a fork of Drupal 7 and was started to serve those who didn't agree with the direction in which Drupal 8 was going, especially regarding complexity, resource requirements, and dependance on more advanced developer tools such as Composer. Backdrop focuses on affordability and simplicity for small to medium-sized businesses, nonprofits, and education professionals.

2. Usability and User Interface:

• WordPress: Known for its ease of use, WordPress allows beginners to set up and manage their websites without needing technical knowledge. The interface is relatively straightforward on a simple site out of the box. As one adds plugins, not all of which work well together, the user experience can become confusing. Wordpress does benefit from a massive library of themes for your front-end design.
• Backdrop CMS: While it aims for simplicity, Backdrop CMS might have a steeper learning curve for individuals entirely new to CMSs, especially if they have no experience with Drupal. However, it's more straightforward than Drupal 8/9 and offers an intuitive interface once users get accustomed to it. For simple use cases, the user interface is probably as simple to use as Wordpress. Much of the complexity in the user interface comes from advanced tools and features that many people don't need and won't find in Wordpress without extra plugins, but if you do need them you are glad they are there and appreciate them despite the learning curve. 

3. Customizability and Extensions:

• WordPress: Offers an extensive range of plugins and themes, both free and paid, allowing high customizability. This extensive ecosystem is one of WordPress's main attractions, although the quality of plugins can vary, and having too many can affect performance. Many plugins come with free functionality but require a paid subscription to access advanced features.
• Backdrop CMS: It includes several of the most popular Drupal 7 modules in its core. There are close to 1000 contributed modules and themes (add-ons), but the library is much smaller than WordPress’s. The focus is more on integrated functionality with core and contributed modules undergo review, leading to better performance and security. There is more coordination within the community on making one good contributed module, rather than several completing modules with different features. As of this time, there are no paid modules for Backdrop CMS, all contributed modules are available and fully functional for free.

4. Performance and Resource Requirements:

• Website using both platforms may experience performance issues as they grow or if too many plugins/modules are installed. This is true of both Wordpress and Backdrop. Both tools have plugins or modules to help with things like advanced caching or other ways to improve performance. 
• Both tools are designed to work on most inexpensive shared hosting platforms without specific requirements. As your site grows and more complex functionality is added, your requirements may change.
• We are currently unaware of any specific benchmarks comparing the performance of the two platforms. Let us know if you have such information. 

5. Security:

• WordPress: Due to its popularity, WordPress is a frequent target for hackers. The platform is secure itself, but third-party plugin vulnerabilities are often exploited. Regular updates are released, and users need to manage updates for both the core system and any additional plugins or themes.
• Backdrop CMS: Because it’s less popular than WordPress, it’s less of a target. A smaller user base also means fewer people testing and reporting security issues. When a security issue is found, a security team responds and issues security updates. As with Wordpress, more attention is focused on the security of the core product, while contributed modules often get less attention.

6. Community and Support:

• WordPress: The Wordpress community is older and much larger and have built an extensive network of support channels, including forums, online tutorials, dedicated businesses, and more. This extensive ecosystem provides an abundance of resources.
• Backdrop CMS: Though much smaller, the Backdrop community is active and passionate. Support often comes through community forums and chat channels and the dedicated efforts of its members. Given its shared heritage with Drupal, many issues can be resolved with insights from the Drupal community as well.

7. Development and Maintenance:

• Both tools are build with PHP and provide APIs that allow advanced users with knowledge of PHP to extend and customize their sites with custom plugins/modules.
• WordPress: Often requires less technical expertise to maintain, though some complexities arise with major updates or if you have a heavily customized site. The strong emphasis on backward compatibility makes it relatively easy to update between versions.
• Backdrop CMS: Reducing overhead, backwards compatibility, and reducing the cost of site ownership were driving factors in the fork of Backdrop CMS from the Drupal project. Backdrop CMS published it's core values and principles on their website. Backdrop CMS features configuration management in its core for easier deployment between different instances (like development, staging, production). Backdrop CMS has built in APIs in the core product that address more complex functionality, that in the case of Wordpress are added exclusively through plugins that are not always compatible with one another. We think that these core APIs give Backdrop CMS an advantage for developers.

8. Structured Data and Dynamic Views:

• Wordpress:
  • Custom Post Types and Taxonomies: The default installation comes with standard options (posts and pages), you can create an array of content types (e.g., products, reviews, team members) with custom fields and taxonomies using third party plugins that sometimes require a subscription. This system can get cumbersome when dealing with highly structured or relational data.
  • Plugins for Advanced Custom Fields (ACF): To handle custom field data, WordPress users often rely on plugins like Advanced Custom Fields. This popular plugin allows you to add and manage custom field data across your website, enabling more structured data management within your content types. However, utilizing this requires a degree of manual setup and maintenance, and performance can be an issue with extensive data.
  • Shortcodes and Page Builders: For dynamic display of data, WordPress has shortcodes and numerous page builder plugins (like Elementor and Visual Composer). These tools let you create elaborate, dynamic displays and layouts. They are generally user-friendly but can add bloat to the site and might not handle highly complex data interactions efficiently.
  • REST API: WordPress includes a REST API, allowing developers to create custom solutions for very dynamic, app-like experiences. This feature is required for advanced dynamic data interactions, especially for web applications requiring real-time data updates and interactive functionalities.
     
• Backdrop CMS:
  • Content Types and Fields in Core: Backdrop includes more advanced content types and custom fields in its core compared to WordPress. It allows for a more nuanced control over data structures and relationships directly out of the box. You can define content types with custom fields without needing additional modules or plugins, which is advantageous for handling structured data.
  • Views Module: One of the most powerful features Backdrop inherited from Drupal is the Views module, included in the core. Views allow for the creation of highly customizable listings of content based on various filters, field conditions, and relationships. This tool is incredibly powerful for sites that need to display dynamic data based on content relationships or specific attributes. It's more advanced and less bloated compared to using shortcodes or page builders in WordPress.
  • Layouts for Content Display: Backdrop features a Layouts module in its core, allowing administrators and developers to create custom layouts for different content types, ensuring a more structured and customizable way to present data. This approach is less dependent on third-party extensions and provides a cleaner, performance-optimized way to handle complex content presentation.
  • API and Framework: Backdrop CMS offers robust core APIs and a framework for creating custom modules that makes is a powerful platform for developers writing custom code or creating custom applications.

Each platform serves its audience, with WordPress being potentially more suitable for beginners with very basic needs and those wanting access to the extensive library of themes/plugins. Backdrop CMS tries to bridge the gap between remaining easy to use for very simple use cases, but including powerful features for more advanced use cases. Backdrop is likel to appeal to those with more ambitious goals or those looking for a more streamlined and developer-friendly experience. In particular, those who have enjoyed working with Drupal 7.

When it comes to structured and dynamic data, Backdrop CMS provides more out-of-the-box control and advanced handling through its core modules like Views and Layouts, suitable for complex data manipulation and display. WordPress, while user-friendly, often requires additional plugins and tools for similar functionalities, which can lead to performance trade-offs and potential security issues. Developers seeking to build heavily data-driven websites might find Backdrop more aligned with their needs, especially if they require complex data relationships and dynamic, customizable content displays without relying heavily on third-party plugins that don't always work well together.

Written with the help of ChatGPT.
Extensively edited by Tim Erickson.
Significant Updates: 01/10/2024
Image by Dalle*3.