MadAnalysis 5 is a framework for phenomenological investigations at particle colliders. Based on a C++ kernel, this program allows to efficiently perform sophisticated physics analyses of event files such as those generated a large class of Monte Carlo event generators in a straightforward and user-friendly fashion. MadAnalysis 5 comes with two modes of running. The first one, easier to handle, uses the strengths of a powerful Python interface in order to implement the analysis by the mean of a set of intuitive commands. The second one requires to implement the analysis in the C++ programming language, directly within the core of the analysis framework. This opens unlimited possibilities concerning the level of complexity which can be reached by the analysis, being only limited by the programming skills and the originality of the user. MadAnalysis 5 can also be used for the recasting of existing LHC analyses. These features are documented on the Public Analysis Database (PAD), together with instructions to implement new analyses.