Simple to use password-protected gateways

[DXL]

I'm developing a site in which the homepage is visible to everyone, but a login is required to access the rest of the site. To obtain a login, visitors must fill out a form with all their personal info, the site owner receives it and then manually creates a username for them.

Ideally the info they enter would be stored in a database. Is there existing software out there that I can install to accept registrations that are admin approved, store the registration details, and then make sure everything in the members-only subfolders of the site remains accessible only once you're logged in? If I can avoid having to hire a programmer to do this, it would be a big plus.

[jtara]

Your web server almost certainly already has everything you need to do this. However, the details depend on the particular type of webserver you are using, your host, etc.

I'd suggest that you start by going over the documentation provided by your host.

If you need to hire somebody, it's a webmaster, not a programmer.

The only thing you might need a programmer for would be if you want to create a unique, administrator-friendly way of maintaining the database. Otherwise, to add a new user, you would typically edit a text file on the server.