SilverStripe: an evaluation

SilverStripe content management system is an open source CMS. It was developed in 2000 by a team of New Zealanders. Since 2006 it has been available as an open source download.

SilverStripe provides a PHP Framework, with which the user can program both simple websites and complex web applications. It is based on a MVC architecture, which makes the code production and adaptation very easy.

SilverStripe popularity has risen dramatically since the release of version 3.0. The most recent version is 3.1.2. SilverStripe will be most useful to developers and companies. The framework  with its sizeable codebase make every PHP developer’s heart beat faster! For hobby webmasters, I would suggest Wordpress or Joomla! rather than SilverStripe.

SilverStripe’s advantages over other CMS:

• open source
• quick and easy installation process
• standard PHP configurations; no extra PHP extensions needed
• clear distinction between PHP code and html code
• quick and high-quality code programming
• the user can control all CMS extensions with the admin panel
• designs and templates easily adjustable
• detailed developer documentation
• good cache performance
• core classes and methods easily extendable with the help of extensions and modules
• SilverStripe gets by with the minimum amount of database tables (= 30 indexes)
• low memory requirements (48 MB)

Requirements

• PHP 5.3.2+ recommended PHP settings:
• safe_mode = Off
• magic_quotes_gpc = Off
• memory_limit = 48M
• SilverStripe requires the following modules:
• dom
• gd2
• hash
• iconv
• mbstring
• Databases:
• MySQL 5.0+
• PostgreSQL 8.3+
• SQL Server 2008 Oracle SQLite
• Webserver:
• Apache 1.3+ mit mod_rewrite und "AllowOverride All" IIS 5.x+ (Version 7.5+ und URL Rewrite Module)
• Operating systems:
• Linux/Unix/BSD
• Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Vista, Windows 7, Server 2008, Server 2008 R2
• Mac OS X 10.4+