Zenario is a content management system (CMS) for building and running websites, customer portals and online databases. It combines an editing experience that non-technical staff can pick up quickly with the depth that organisations need for multilingual sites, secure members' areas and structured data. Zenario is available in two ways: as OnZenario, a fully hosted cloud service, or as free, open source software that you can host yourself.
OnZenario: the hosted version
OnZenario is for businesses and organisations that want a professional website without managing servers or relying on a developer for every change. Sign up, choose a design and launch your site, then personalise the layout and add your own content. Hosting, security updates and backups are taken care of, so your team can focus on the website rather than the infrastructure. A 14-day free trial is available, with no technical setup required.
Open source Zenario: the self-hosted version
Zenario is released under the BSD-3-Clause licence and built on PHP and MySQL, so it runs on standard LAMP hosting. Developers and agencies can install it on their own servers, extend it through a documented plugin API, and keep full control over the code and data. Because OnZenario runs on the same engine, sites can move between self-hosted and cloud as needs change, with no lock-in.
Who uses Zenario
- Small and medium-sized businesses that want a professional website they can update themselves
- Membership organisations and associations that need a members-only area
- Companies running customer, partner or staff extranets
- International organisations publishing in several languages
- Organisations that need searchable online directories or databases
- Web agencies and developers building sites for clients
Key features
Content editing
- WYSIWYG editing: click on a page and edit text, images and other content directly
- Responsive layout builder for designing page layouts that work on desktop, tablet and mobile
- Reusable content and plugins that can be placed on any page
- Version control on content, so changes can be drafted, reviewed and published
Multilingual websites
- Multi-language support built into the core, not added as an afterthought
- Translation chains that link each page to its equivalents in other languages
- Manage all language versions from a single site
Extranets and customer portals
- User registration and login
- Access permissions so that pages, documents and data are visible only to the right people
- Ideal for members' areas, client portals, partner extranets and staff intranets
Forms and data capture
- Build forms for enquiries, registrations, applications and surveys
- Send submissions to email or integrate them with your CRM
- Capture leads directly from your website
Document management
- Store and share documents in a hierarchical folder structure
- Folder-level permissions control who can see and download each document
Structured content and databases
- Custom content types and datasets for structured information
- Build searchable directories, listings and online databases
SEO and performance
- SEO-friendly URLs and XML sitemaps
- Automatic image optimisation for faster page loads
- Control over page titles and descriptions
Extensibility
- Documented plugin API for building custom modules
- Open source codebase that developers can inspect and extend
Why choose Zenario
- Grows with you: start with a simple brochure site, then add a members' area, a customer portal or an online database on the same platform, without migrating to a new system
- Easy for editors: staff can update content without technical skills or training courses
- Your choice of hosting: use the fully hosted OnZenario service, or self-host the open source version
- No lock-in: open source licensing means your site and data are never trapped in a proprietary platform
- Built-in multilingual and extranet features that many website builders only offer through third-party add-ons
- Developed and supported in the UK by Tribal Systems, the team behind Zenario, which has been powering business websites for many years
Getting started
To launch a hosted site, start a 14-day free trial of OnZenario at onzenario.com. To self-host, download the open source version from zenar.io, where you'll also find documentation and the developer guide.
Who Is the Company Behind Zenario?
