Headless CMS
Content management system without its own frontend. Content is delivered via APIs and can be displayed on websites, apps and any channel.
A headless CMS separates content management from presentation. Editors work in a comfortable backend while developers have full freedom on the frontend. Result: top performance with Next.js or Astro, multi-channel publishing (web, app, digital signage) and independent release cycles for content and code. The headless approach is the standard for modern, fast web projects.
What is Headless CMS?
A headless CMS is a content management system that provides only the backend (content repository and admin UI), not a frontend (the “head”). Content is delivered via APIs (REST or GraphQL) and consumed by any frontend: React/Next.js sites, mobile apps, smartwatches, voice assistants, digital signage. Popular headless CMSs include Strapi (open source, self-hosted), Contentful (SaaS), Sanity (real-time collaboration), Hygraph (GraphQL-native) and Payload CMS (TypeScript-first). Traditional CMSs like WordPress ship frontend and backend together.
How does Headless CMS work?
Editors create and manage content in the headless CMS: text, images, references between content types, metadata and translations. The CMS stores this in a database. The frontend fetches content via REST or GraphQL at build time (SSG) or request time (SSR). Webhooks notify the frontend when content changes and can trigger rebuilds. A CDN caches generated pages for fast load times globally.
Practical Examples
Strapi + Next.js: Open-source headless CMS on your server, Next.js frontend with SSG and ISR for performance and SEO.
Contentful + multi-channel: A travel company manages destinations, hotels and reviews in Contentful and publishes to the website (Next.js), app (Flutter) and email newsletters.
Sanity + Astro: Marketing site with Sanity for live editing and Astro for minimal JS and maximum performance.
Payload CMS: TypeScript-first headless CMS with auth, access control and rich text – for developers who want full control.
Typical Use Cases
Marketing websites: Fast, SEO-friendly corporate sites with Next.js or Astro
Multi-channel publishing: Same content on web, app, smart TV and digital signage
E-commerce: Central product content, multiple frontends
Multilingual sites: Centralized content and translations
Content APIs: Expose content as an API for partners and aggregators
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
- Frontend freedom: Any stack (React, Vue, Astro, Flutter) as frontend
- Performance: Static generation + CDN = very fast load times
- Multi-channel: Create once, publish everywhere
- Scalability: API-based and CDN-cached scaling
- Independence: Content and dev teams can work independently
Disadvantages
- No live preview: Separation makes “preview before publish” harder
- Developer dependency: Schema changes often need frontend updates
- Cost: SaaS headless (Contentful, Sanity) can get expensive at scale
- Complexity: More pieces (CMS, frontend, API, CDN) than a single WordPress
- No plugin ecosystem: Unlike WordPress, no huge set of ready-made plugins
Frequently Asked Questions about Headless CMS
Headless CMS or WordPress?
Strapi or Contentful?
What does a headless CMS project cost?
Related Terms
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