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title: Learn About Experience Cloud Frameworks and Templates
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locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/experience/264-0-0/exp_cloud_plan_frameworks.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_plan_frameworks.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
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description: Select a framework and template as part of your site planning. The choices you make at the beginning of your site creation process have long-term downstream implications. In particular, consider your business objectives, your technical know-how, and the costs associated with each.
products:
  - Experiences
release: "264"
---
# Learn About Experience Cloud Frameworks and Templates

Select a framework and template as part of your site planning. The choices you make at the beginning of your site creation process have long-term downstream implications. In particular, consider your business objectives, your technical know-how, and the costs associated with each.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Why Is This Important?

You can build an Experience Cloud site using one of three frameworks: Lightning Web Runtime (LWR), Aura, or Visualforce. Each framework supports different templates.

The LWR framework uses Lightning Web Components (LWC). LWC offers a platform for developers to build components on a standardized web stack. The LWR framework with LWC creates unparalleled performance and speed. LWR templates include Build Your Own (LWR) and Microsite (LWR). To build a site using an LWR template, you need access to developer resources.

Aura uses a standardized Server-Side JavaScript framework, which helps developers build customizable components. But web practices have changed, improved, and become even more standardized since Server-Side JavaScript’s introduction in 2014, paving the way for the evolution to LWR. Aura templates include Customer Service, Partner Central, Help Center, Build Your Own, and Customer Account Portal. Aura templates are mostly low-code. Lightning web components and Aura components can coexist and interoperate on a page.

The Visualforce framework includes a tag-based markup language, similar to HTML, and a set of server-side “standard controllers” that make basic database operations simple to perform. The Visualforce framework supports Salesforce Tabs + Visualforce sites. To create a branded experience using Salesforce Tabs + Visualforce, you need access to developer resources.

## Find Out More

![Help](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-experience-communities-264-0-0-production-enus/bf7df212-91a1-4fa3-a007-4d6f3e3b470b/communities/images/icon_help.png) [Which Experience Cloud Template Should I Use?](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.siteforce_commtemp_intro.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Experience Cloud templates let you build responsive sites for delivering rich, branded spaces for your customers and partners. And with Experience Builder, you can accomplish a lot without coding. For example, you can edit a template’s components to include information about your site, add images to extend your branding, and include CMS content. And if you want a more customized experience, you can create custom pages, add components to pages, build custom Lightning components, and expose more Salesforce objects.")

![Help](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-experience-communities-264-0-0-production-enus/bf7df212-91a1-4fa3-a007-4d6f3e3b470b/communities/images/icon_help.png) [What Is the Enhanced Sites and Content Platform?](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.exp_cloud_enhanced.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "The enhanced sites and content platform is a flexible new system that brings together Salesforce CMS and Lightning Web Runtime (LWR) sites. From Winter ’23, enhanced LWR sites and enhanced CMS workspaces that you create are hosted together on this redesigned platform, which offers partial deployment, improved content management, and expression-based visibility.")