title: CMS choices for multitenant ecommerce application in Java
body: <p>I need help choosing a CMS product to suit an e-commerce application with some complex unique features. I'm considering using an existing CMS because I don't have the budget to build my own versions of:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>copy editor</li>
  <li>page layout tools</li>
  <li>site map editor (optional)</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>I'd considered Spring.MVC and JBoss Seam as framework alternatives and JSP/JSTL and Facelets/JSF as view technologies before realising the CMS may drive this choice.</p>
  
  <p>Since there are six customers to start with I was very keen on a multi-tenant architecture with branding applied to each tenants pages.</p>
  
  <p>I see two architectural alternatives:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Build a bespoke multitenant site based directly on a web framework and "pull in" content via JCR.</li>
  <li>Deploy a multi-tenant CMS and somehow add the unique functions.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>The "unique functions" are an interactive designer to build exactly the product you want. Once built the product is added to your cart and there is then the normal payment and account set-up functions to consider. All still within a multi-tenant situation.</p>
  
  <p>I am quite happy for the content editing functions to sit in a separate web app it would be sufficient for me to operate this on behalf of the six customers, but ideally they would also have access. There is no need for this to be branded at all.</p>
  
  <p>Any suggestions?</p>