Plone

About Plone

Plone is a powerful, open-source content management system (CMS) built on Python. It is designed for building secure, scalable, and highly customizable websites, and serves as the foundation for the OSSIG website.

What is Plone?

Plone is more than a traditional website builder—it is an enterprise-grade CMS that allows developers and organizations to create dynamic, content-driven websites with strong control over user access and content workflows.

Some of its key strengths include:

  • Python-based backend (unlike many CMS platforms that rely heavily on PHP or JavaScript)
  • Advanced permission management, allowing fine-grained control over who can view, edit, and publish content
  • Built-in security features, making it a trusted choice for sensitive applications
  • Flexible content workflows for moderation, approvals, and publishing

Real-World Usage

Plone is trusted by major organizations around the world due to its security and reliability. It has been used by:

  • Government agencies (including the FBI)
  • Large corporations (such as Verizon)
  • International organizations (including the United Nations)

Its ability to support both internal platforms (intranets) and public-facing websites makes it highly versatile.

Key Features

Strong Security

  • Role-based access control
  • Content-level permissions
  • Secure authentication and user management

Customizability

  • Extend functionality using Python
  • Build custom workflows and content types
  • Integrate with external systems and APIs

Content management

  • Easy content creation and editing
  • Version control and publishing workflows
  • Support for structured and dynamic content

Getting Started with Plone

Plone supports multiple operating systems, including:

  • Linux
  • macOS
  • BSD
  • Windows (via Windows Subsystem for Linux or containers)

You can download the latest version from the official Plone website.

Recommended Setup (Beginner-Friendly)

If you're new to Plone, we recommend using Docker or Podman to get started quickly. Preconfigured templates simplify installation and avoid many of the complexities of manual setup.

This approach allows you to:

  • Spin up a working Plone instance quickly
  • Avoid dependency issues
  • Experiment safely in a containerized environment