Cotonti

Cotonti is a PHP framework and content management system that pairs a template engine with modules, aimed at sites that want structure without heavy tooling.

Cotonti calls itself a fast, reliable, and flexible PHP CMF and CMS, and the README leans on the hybrid. It combines the flexibility of a web framework with the rapid deployability and feature set of a content management system. User accounts, content creation, file management, and community tools come out of the box, and extension happens through modules or plugins. Its own template engine is pitched as fast and easy to learn, even for someone who is not an experienced programmer.

The major features read as a checklist: open source and community driven, secure and reliable, fast and lightweight, modular and extensible, with layout separated from logic, a fast and easy template engine, and internationalization. The current release is named Verona, and the repository timeline goes back to 2010.

The server requirements are specific. PHP must be compiled with GD, Hash, Mbstring, MySQL, PCRE, PDO and PDO MySQL, Sessions, and Zlib. For search-engine-friendly URLs, the README adds mod rewrite and the ability to use local .htaccess files. Nothing about these requirements is optional; the docs say Cotonti will not run without them.

Contributions flow through the community. The README credits members who report issues, request features, write documentation, and post feedback in the forums. To contribute code, you should be familiar with Cotonti's technical concepts and coding guidelines, then submit a pull request with the related commits. The license is the 3-clause BSD license, as published by the Regents of the University of California.

What stands out is the attitude: a template engine simple enough for newcomers, a clear dependency list, and a community-shaped contribution path, all described plainly.

• Source 1 · Project repository
• Source 2 · README