What You Need to Know about Headless CMS

12 August 2022

In this article, we’ll cover the basics of what a headless CMS is, how they work, and how they’re different from other CMS platforms. We’ll also take a look at how headless content is used, as well as how to apply headless CMS to websites, apps, and more.

What is a Headless CMS?

We can assure you this is nothing from a horror movie! Headless CMS is a content management system that provides your content as data over an API rather than coupled with a specific output.

In regard to a CMS, the head is where the content goes, while the body is where the content is stored and created. With a headless CMS, you still have a “head,” but you have the ability to choose which heads to send your content to.

This has become a popular way to manage content in CMS platforms. While they may not use the term “headless,” some platforms use alternative terms such as API-first, content hubs, content infrastructure, or content as a service. In reality, these are headless CMSs, with content made available through an API.

What’s the Difference Between a Headless CMS & a Traditional CMS?

A traditional CMS is coupled, which means that everything on the backend and the frontend is connected directly together. This makes it easy to manage the content. This means changes can be made on the backend, and then they show up on the frontend without too much configuration. Even non-tech individuals can work with this type of CMS.

In addition, traditional CMS platforms generally use a “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) content editor interface. This is done because the CMS usually has one output, which is a web page.

What About Decoupled CMS Platforms?

Some traditional CMS platforms have developed APIs that are called “decoupled.” While this seems like a more flexible approach, the reality is that this type of capability does not provide the same flexibility as a headless CMS.

Decoupled APIs are built for a single website, which means that content is still restricted on where it can be applied.

How Does Headless CMS Work?

A headless CMS works by providing editors an interface for managing content while providing that content via APIs for developers to query and use for building applications. Most headless CMS platforms are offered as SaaS (Software as a Service).

This means editors have to log into a web app, and the APIs are hosted in a cloud-based backend. There are some headless CMS platforms that allow you to host everything on your own server and database. However, this means it will be necessary to do your own scaling and operations.

Benefits of Headless CMS

Headless CMS provides several benefits, including:

Faster editing experiences: there’s no need to deal with rendering, as there is with traditional CMS platforms.
Manage content for more channels: you have the ability to reach your target audience across multiple channels. A headless CMS allows you to manage content for both websites and apps, as well as manage internal content in the same place.
Developer flexibility: developers can choose their own frontend tooling. It’s possible to work with JavaScript, too.
Easier to scale: you can manage all content from one source, change developer tools when desired and send content to cloud-based hosting services.
Enhanced security: headless content is separated from the presentation layer, which makes it more secure. There’s a smaller area to attack.

Best Uses for Headless CMS

Website & web apps: headless CMS can be used for high-performing “Jamstack” sites, as well as work with static-site-generators such as Gatsby, 11ty, and others. They can also be used for web apps and are popular with modern JavaScript Frameworks, including React, Svelte, and more.
Products & services: a headless CMS that’s not geared to a page-based content structure allows you to manage content for a wide range of products and services, including voice assistants, print, websites, and more—all from the same site.
Ecommerce sites: some headless CMS platforms are flexible and can include an ecommerce back end.

Reasons Headless CMS Platforms Should Not Store Rich Text as HTML

These days, it’s imperative that businesses are available on several channels. These can include voice assistants, printed materials, and websites. This changes the way content needs to be managed and delivered. This is where a headless CMS comes into play.

The headless CMS has the ability to make your content available through APIs. While this is great, it’s also essential that your content is properly structured in a way that makes it easy to use and adapt.

For this reason, it’s best to look for a headless CMS platform that includes a portable text specification for rich text storage.

How to Choose the Right Headless CMS

There are many options available when it comes to headless CMS platforms. It can be confusing and difficult to work through all the features they offer. It’s best to choose a CMS that offers scalability and can be adapted as your business evolves.

Here are some questions to help you choose the best CMS for your needs:

Can I create the kinds of content structures I really need?
Do I want/need to do the content hosting and maintenance myself?
Will my content be stored securely and meet privacy compliance regulations?
Will real-time editing and collaboration improve our workflows?
Will my rich text content be locked to HTML?
Can I scale my content ops without paying high prices?
How does the CMS manage files and image assets?

Summing It Up

As you can see, a headless CMS provides you with an easier way to manage content, while developers can use API to build apps, making it easier to store, edit, and publish content.

Headless CMS platforms are different from decoupled CMSs because they are API-exclusive. There’s nothing to do with content rendering.

All of this makes a headless CMS an excellent choice, especially if you’d like to send content across multiple channels.

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