Headless Content Management Systems (CMSs) have emerged as a solution to challenges faced by traditional CMSs, such as the cumbersome task of redistributing content across platforms. They provide adaptable options with enhanced features and advantages, leading to exponential growth in adoption.
A headless CMS manages content without handling its presentation within an application. It enables content delivery across various platforms, including web apps, native mobile apps, and desktop applications.
Unlike traditional CMSs, a headless CMS lacks the front-end or presentation layer. Instead, it offers an API like Graphql or REST, allowing users to display and render content on a separate front-end system.
Headless CMS vs. Traditional CMS
A headless CMS focuses solely on content management, separate from the front-end editor. Content created in the back-end can be displayed on any chosen front-end using an API.
In contrast, a traditional CMS includes both content and presentation aspects. It has a front-end editor where users can directly access and modify content within the CMS.
Benefits of Headless CMS Software:
- Flexibility: Allows integration with various front-end systems, rendering content on different devices.
- Cloud storage: Content is backed up in the cloud, ensuring accessibility across platforms and mitigating data loss risks.
- Enhanced security: API-driven nature reduces vulnerability to attacks like DDoS.
- Ease of customization: Developers can easily customize applications based on preferred programming languages and frameworks.
- Abundance of tools: Offers a comprehensive range of tools for content editing and enhancing site performance.
Top headless CMS software: Hygraph, Sanity, Storyblok, Strapi, and Contentful.
Hygraph
Hygraph, formerly known as GraphCMS, is a user-friendly headless CMS with a GraphQL API. It has received positive reviews on platforms like g2, being praised as the most user-friendly option among headless CMS platforms. Hygraph offers diverse Content Delivery Network (CDN) options for efficient data serving and integrates smoothly with static site generators, SDKs, and third-party applications. It has a free community option and paid plans starting at $299 per month.
Sanity
Sanity is a flexible headless CMS known for its extensive customization options. It provides customizable widgets, components, and integrations with frameworks and third-party tools. With scalability and robust security support, Sanity offers a reliable content management experience. They offer a free basic plan and paid plans starting at $99 per month.
Storyblok
Storyblok is a feature-rich headless CMS that excels in rendering content across various devices. It supports multiple programming languages and frameworks and allows easy customization of workflows with built-in SEO support. Storyblok has a free and paid plan starting at €90.75 per month.
Strapi
Strapi is a highly customizable headless CMS favored by developers. It offers an intuitive API and gives users the flexibility to self-host or utilize cloud hosting. It seamlessly integrates with third-party applications, making it adaptable and functional. Strapi has a free plan and paid packages starting at $29 monthly.
Contentful
Contentful is a well-established headless CMS hosted on AWS. It integrates smoothly with various third-party applications and offers multi-language and multi-framework support. Contentful excels in delivering fast content updates and provides a customizable user interface. They offer a free community plan and paid plans starting at $489 for enterprise-level requirements.
Ready to go Headless?
In addition to the factors discussed earlier, it is crucial to consider additional aspects when selecting a headless CMS that best fits your business needs. Each organization has unique requirements, so it’s important to carefully assess and choose the most suitable headless CMS for your specific goals.
Furthermore, implementing headless commerce can be a complex undertaking for some businesses. If you require professional assistance with headless commerce, our team at VT Labs specializes in headless commerce development — https://www.vtlabs.org/shopify-development-services/headless. We are highly experienced in this area and offer a free consultation to discuss your e-commerce platform. Feel free to reach out to us for further support and guidance.