# About Craft CMS

Craft is a flexible, user-friendly CMS for creating custom digital experiences on the web and beyond.

It features:

- An intuitive, user-friendly Control Panel for content creation and administrative tasks.
- A clean-slate approach to content modeling and [front-end development](dev/README.md) that doesn’t make any assumptions about your content or how it should be consumed.
- A built-in Plugin Store with hundreds of free and commercial [plugins](https://plugins.craftcms.com/), all just a click away.
- A robust framework for [module and plugin development](extend/README.md).
- An active, vibrant [community](https://craftcms.com/community).

You can learn all about it at [craftcms.com](https://craftcms.com).

## Tech Specs

Craft is a self-hosted PHP 7 application, built on [Yii 2](https://www.yiiframework.com/). It can connect to MySQL and PostgreSQL for content storage. Templating is powered by [Twig](https://twig.symfony.com).

## Resources

We highly recommend you check out these resources as you’re getting started with Craft:

- **[Craft Slack](https://craftcms.com/slack)** – one of the most friendly and helpful Slacks on the planet.
- **[Up and Running with Craft 3](https://craftquest.io/courses/craft-cms-3-tutorials)** – free 4 1/2-hour video course by [CraftQuest](https://craftquest.io).
- **[Craft CMS 3 Orientation Guide](https://nystudio107.com/blog/craft-cms-3-orientation-guide-welcome)** – intro to Craft and the community by [nystudio107](https://nystudio107.com).
- **[Craft CMS Stack Exchange](http://craftcms.stackexchange.com/)** – community-run Q&A for Craft developers.
- **[Craft Link List](http://craftlinklist.com/)** – bimonthly newsletter about the Craft ecosystem.

## Diving In

To start getting acquainted with how content modeling works in Craft, read [Sections and Entries](sections-and-entries.md) and [Fields](fields.md).

When you’re ready to install Craft, read [Server Requirements](requirements.md) and [Installation Instructions](installation.md).

Finally, read the [Front-End Development](dev/README.md) section when you’re ready to start building out the front-end of your site or application.