the best "Simple" CMS system suitable for .Net MVC

Question

Hello,

I'm developing a MVC .Net site and would like to implement a CMS system. So far I have looked at Umbraco, which looks good but the help is poor and the getting started video section is empty, and dotnetnuke, which again looks good but I get the impression its aimed at non developers, plus to has much more than I need and want.

In my last job I created a basic custom CMS system that worked by simply adding values into the database, the application called the text from there. it worked fine but I don’t have the source code.

what I'm after is a simple CMS system that really just controls text and images, I dont need all the fancy stuff thats in umbraco and dotnetnuke, all the design and CSS i can do myself.

also as im working with MVC (which is awesome, and such a breath of fresh air compared to the web forms/telerik crap I have to put up with at work) it needs to be compatible.

A simple CMS, can anyone provide any suggestion ?

Truegilly

Answer 1

Have look at these

• N2 Open Source ASP.NET CMS
• Kooboo
• Mvc Cms
• AtomicCMS

Answer 2

There is Oxite which is a blog engine written by some people Microsoft to try an demonstrate some real world examples using ASP.NET MVC. Might be worth checking out but not sure if it's the best solution.

Answer 3

It might be worth keeping an eye on the Orchard Project. It's the spiritual successor to Oxite and an official Code Plex Foundation project.

Answer 4

I've struggled with the same question. I didn't want to deal with training customers to use complicated CMS systems so as a learning experience to get me into MVC I built my own CMS. It does everything I need and nothing I don't. I'm very familiar with it if I do need to add a thing or two to satisfy a project requirement so that makes it a joy to update. I'm much happier using my own system that I built to work the way I want it to work than I've ever been working around the issues that other apps have.

I guess my suggestion is that if you have a few days to plan it out and a few weeks to get a working model going why not go for building one of your own? If you're like me you'll constantly find things to update and you'll constantly improve it over time it will become a really strong app.

I'd be glad to share some ideas if you'd like.

Answer 5

I think you should check TOKO CMS, it is a free one for text and few dollars for the wysiwyg version

Answer 6

Asad Butt mentioned it, so I'd second a look into N2 CMS, apparently (haven't actually used it myself) you can just use its API, meaning you don't have to integrate your app into it's standalone system, rather your can integrate specific CMS functions into your app. Worth a look...

Answer 7

Here`s great list: http://www.vivalogo.com/vl-resources/free-lightweight-simple-cms.htm

Answer 8

Microsoft has provided a nice list of open source applications including CMS applications like Umbraco, Orchard and DotNetNuke on their newly redesigned ASP.NET site. It's worth a look.

Answer 9

Have you try Business Catalyst? here is the website http://receptive.com.au/web/business_catalyst/what_is.html