Everything you need to know about Craft CMS 5

Craft 5 is the latest version of the popular content management system (CMS) from our friends over at Pixel & Tonic, and it brings several nifty features over its predecessor.

Getting to grips with any new software can always feel a bit overwhelming, so we’ve outlined five of the best features Craft CMS 5 comes with and how they make life easier.

• Refined control panel
• Enhanced navigation
• Introducing entrification
• Multifactor authentication
• Select multiple authors

Refined control panel

A major visual change is that entries, categories and users can be displayed as cards in the control panel, making it easier to spot the elements you want to edit. These cards can also be customised to show specific previews, which include being able to add key information to them, such as price or a content overview. 

This change makes navigating Craft CMS a much more visually intuitive experience. It should also save you time and improve the overall process when you're working on and editing your Craft CMS website. The table view is still an option, and you can apply colour coding here, so it’s entirely up to your team what approach you take.

In terms of how the CMS functions, the refined control panel is a welcome upgrade over Craft CMS 3 and 4.

Enhanced navigation

The team at Pixel & Tonic has clearly made navigation a top priority for the latest version of Craft CMS.

Each visible element now has its own menu, allowing you to carry out typical actions such as edits or viewing the content in a new tab. The introduction of bulk inline editing also allows you to make multiple edits in table view without having to open each item individually. This will be useful for authors who need to carry out minor edits, such as price changes and is proving to be a real time-saver!

Overall, the Craft 5 CMS control panel delivers a refined user interface (UI) and the look and feel is much lighter and user-friendly. It has some nice touches, such as being able to toggle the sidebar for an icon-only view. You’ll even be able to colour-code your entry cards and other elements, making it easier to customise to suit your way of working in the CMS.

Introducing entrification

Before, pages and blocks were treated as two different things: a block and an entry

Now, everything is an entry, and not just the individual pages themselves. This means you can use a single entry across multiple pages, making it easier to create consistency and update content in the future.

These entries can also be nested within each other, which they couldn’t be before. For example, a rich text editor will allow you to select an image as an entry, meaning everything is more fluid/custom.

Introducing nested entries might seem like a relatively minor change, but users will really notice an improvement when creating or editing those SEO-friendly, content-heavy pages.

Multifactor authentication

Security is so important in this day and age, especially when it comes to your website. To help with this, Craft CMS 5 includes multifactor authentication, which provides an extra layer of security for peace of mind and includes the following:

• Biometrics (e.g. facial recognition)
• Passkey sign in
• Two-factor authentication (2FA for short)

Not only do these features make your website more secure, it’s another example of how the Craft CMS team is helping to streamline processes for authors by allowing them to choose the authentication process that works best for them.

Select multiple authors

That’s right, Craft CMS 5 will let you choose multiple authors when publishing a news article or blog.

You’d be forgiven for thinking this is quite minor, but in a day and age where credibility is essential for website visibility, being able to display each relevant author for an article is a must.

So, not only will it prevent internal squabbling among CMS users, but this feature will also help you demonstrate authority to your target audience and search engines, which is a winner in our eyes.

We're here to answer your questions about the next version of Craft CMS!

Craft CMS 5 represents a significant advancement in content management systems, with enhanced features tailored to streamline user experiences and boost flexibility. 

Transitioning from categories, tags, and global sets to unified entry types exemplifies Craft’s commitment to simplifying and centralising content management, while the introduction of multifactor authentication demonstrates dedication to security and user convenience.

If you have any questions about Craft CMS 5, or need help upgrading your existing CMS, then please get in contact, and we’ll be glad to help.