Umbraco

Umbraco is an open‑source content management system (CMS) built on the .NET platform. It was originally released in 2004 by Niels Hartvig and is now developed and maintained by Umbraco HQ with contributions from a global community. The system is designed to enable developers to create and manage websites and digital experiences with an emphasis on editor usability and flexibility.

Key features include a flexible content model with defined content types and fields, a web-based backoffice for editing and publishing, and built-in media management. It supports workflows, versioning, scheduling, and multilingual sites. Umbraco can be used for traditional templated sites as well as headless or hybrid setups through APIs that expose published content for consumption by other front-ends.

Technology and architecture: Umbraco is written in C and runs on the .NET platform. Starting with Umbraco 9, the platform targets the .NET 5/6 runtime and supports cross‑platform deployment on Windows, Linux, or in containers. Data is stored in relational databases, commonly SQL Server, with additional provider options available through the data layer and community packages.

Extensibility and ecosystem: The core CMS is enhanced by a large ecosystem of packages and extensions available via the Umbraco Marketplace, enabling features such as e‑commerce integration, SEO tools, forms, and custom workflows. The backoffice interface is designed for non-technical editors while remaining accessible to developers who can extend and customize through the Umbraco API and C# code.

Impact and usage: Umbraco is used by individuals, small businesses, and enterprises for corporate sites, marketing portals, and digital experiences. It has a global community, extensive documentation, and commercial support options from Umbraco HQ and certified partners.