CiviCRM Standalone aims to make CiviCRM work without a CMS. This was possible some time ago, but not very popular and was removed somewhere in the 3.x series:
- CiviCRM Extensions barely existed, and most customizations where in Drupal modules.
- Theming was mostly done using the CMS theme. Today we have a few options (Shoreditch, Finsbury Park, Haystack Theme, Ahh), and some Bootstrap support in CiviCRM Core.
- Theming was mostly done using the CMS theme. Today [we have a few options](https://civicrm.org/extensions?title=&body_value=&field_extension_civi_use_target_id=356), and some Bootstrap support in CiviCRM Core.
- User management options in Standalone were limited, and SSO was recommended.
- Most developers came from the Drupal world, and were more comfortable with Drupal tooling.
About composer: Presumably we will want a composer template, so that people can also build their own composer project. The `mlutfy/civicrm-standalone` git repo was created mostly to package the `index.php` and help setup the directories, but also has an htaccess file, config template and other things to get started.
About composer: Presumably we will want a composer template, so that people can also build their own composer project. The `civicrm/civicrm-standalone` git repo was created mostly to package the `index.php` and help setup the directories, but also has an htaccess file, config template and other things to get started.