Chapter 4. Administrators, Users, and Guests

With some general ideas about a CMS framework established, it is time to dive into specifics. First, we will look at handling the different people who will use the CMS, creating a basis for ensuring that each individual is able to do appropriate things. Although we might talk generally of users, mostly the discussion of "users" means those people who have identified themselves to the system, while those who have not are deemed "guests". A special subset of users contains people who are given access to the special administrator interface provided by the system.

Questions arise concerning how to store data about users securely and efficiently. If the mechanisms are to work at all, the ability to authenticate people coming to the website is vital. Someone will have to look after the permanent records, so most sites will need the CMS to support basic administrative functions. And the nature of user management implies that customization is quite likely...