PHP Framework vs Content Management System

You can check out this slide to see the difference:

• PHP-CMS-vs-Frameworks

To put it in simple words:

A CMS provides you with a back-end (with a host of plugins and components) like Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, etc that allow you to manage front-end. Where as a frameworks doesn't.

A framework such as CodeIgniter, Kohana, CakePHP, Symfony, etc: provides you with ready-made classes and libraries BUT you have to use them and build your own site ie: Front-end and Back-end.

Framework = Library CMS = System

A framework doesn't "give" you anything, it's just a skeleton. A cms will give you a functional site, and it's just a matter of themeing and adding content.

You can build a CMS with a framework, but you cannot build a framework with a CMS.

A CMS is just that - a Content Management System.

A framework is a collection of libraries to build an application.