CMS Made Simple

Self-Hosted

Flexible open-source CMS for conference website building and management

Overview

CMS Made Simple is an open-source content management system tailored for conference organizers to create and manage event websites. It offers intuitive tools for building event schedules, speaker profiles, registration forms, and venue pages. With a modular plugin architecture, users can add conference-specific features like payment gateways or attendee tracking. Deployment is straightforward—supports LAMP/WAMP stacks, Docker images, and one-click installs on most hosting platforms. Lightweight and secure, it requires minimal technical expertise, making it ideal for small to medium conferences seeking self-hosted control.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  cms_made_simple:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: cms-made-simple
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

Event schedule and speaker profile management
Customizable registration form builder
Modular plugins for payment and attendee tracking
Easy self-hosting on LAMP/WAMP or Docker

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is CMS Made Simple hard to install for conference websites?

No—CMS Made Simple supports one-click installs on many hosting providers and has clear documentation for LAMP/WAMP stack setup. Docker images are also available for quick self-hosting, making it accessible even for users with basic technical skills.

? Can CMS Made Simple handle conference registrations and payments?

Yes—via plugins like FormBuilder (for registration forms) and payment gateways (e.g., PayPal integration), you can manage attendee sign-ups and collect fees directly on your conference website.

? Is CMS Made Simple completely free to use for conference management?

Yes—CMS Made Simple is open-source under the GPL license, so it’s free to download, install, and modify for any conference use case. Some third-party plugins may have optional paid versions, but core functionality is fully free.

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Tool Info

Pricing Open Source

Category Conference Management

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ No licensing fees (open-source GPL license)
⊕ Low technical barrier for setup and maintenance
⊕ Privacy-focused (self-hosted data control)
⊕ Extensible via community plugins for conference needs

Cons

⊖ Limited advanced analytics compared to SaaS conference tools
⊖ Plugin ecosystem smaller than larger CMS platforms
⊖ Requires basic server management for self-hosting