Core Libraries
CakePHP comes with a plethora of built-in functions and classes. These classes and functions try to cover some of the most common features required in web applications.
General Purpose
General purpose libraries are available and reused in many places across CakePHP.
Behaviors
Behaviors add extra functionality to your models. CakePHP comes with a number of built-in behaviors such as TreeBehavior and ContainableBehavior.
To learn about creating and using behaviors, read the section on Behaviors.
Components
CakePHP has a selection of components to help take care of basic tasks in your controllers. See the section on Components for how to configure and use components.
Helpers
CakePHP features a number of helpers that aid in view creation. They assist in creating well-formed markup (including forms), aid in formatting text, times and numbers, and can even integrate with popular JavaScript libraries. Here is a summary of the built-in helpers.
Read Helpers to learn more about helpers, their API, and how you can create and use your own helpers.
Utilities
Beyond the core MVC components, CakePHP includes a great selection of utility classes that help you do everything from webservice requests, to caching, to logging, internationalization and more.