Headless CMS: Content Management That Scales

Introduction

Separating content management from presentation gives you flexibility.

Headless CMS lets you use any frontend while keeping powerful content editing. Here's how we choose between the options.

What is a Headless CMS?

A headless CMS separates content storage from presentation.

Traditional CMS solutions like WordPress couple content management with the frontend. Headless CMS decouples these layers.

Benefits:

• Flexibility — Use any frontend framework (Next.js, React, Vue, etc.)
• Performance — Deliver content via APIs, enabling static site generation
• Scalability — Scale frontend and backend independently
• Multi-channel — Use the same content across web, mobile, and other platforms
• Developer Experience — Modern APIs and developer-friendly tools

Headless CMS Comparison

Feature	Strapi	Craft CMS	WordPress (Headless)	Shopify
Hosting	Self-hosted	Self-hosted	Self-hosted/Managed	Managed
Open Source	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Content API	REST/GraphQL	REST/GraphQL	REST/GraphQL	REST/GraphQL
Developer Experience	Excellent	Very Good	Good	Excellent
Content Editor UX	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Good
E-commerce	Limited	Limited	Limited	Excellent
Multi-site	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Limited
Localization	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Plugin Ecosystem	Growing	Large	Massive	Large
Best For	Custom APIs, Full Control	Complex Content	Existing WordPress Teams	E-commerce

Quick notes:

• Strapi — Full control over APIs and infrastructure
• Craft CMS — Complex content structures and multi-site needs
• WordPress (Headless) — Teams already using WordPress
• Shopify — E-commerce with custom storefronts

Strapi: Open-Source and Customizable

Strapi is an open-source, self-hosted headless CMS built with Node.js.

Key Features:

• Full Control — Self-hosted means complete control over data and infrastructure
• Customizable — Highly customizable content types and API endpoints
• Developer Experience — Good developer experience with modern tooling
• REST & GraphQL — Supports both REST and GraphQL APIs
• Plugin System — Extensible plugin architecture

Best For:

• Teams needing full control over their content API
• Projects requiring custom content structures
• Organizations wanting to self-host their CMS
• Developers comfortable with Node.js

Works Well With:

• Next.js for content-heavy sites
• React applications
• Any frontend that can consume REST or GraphQL APIs

Considerations:

• Requires hosting and maintenance
• Smaller plugin ecosystem compared to WordPress
• Learning curve for content editors

Craft CMS: Powerful and Flexible

Craft CMS is a powerful, flexible CMS built with PHP.

Key Features:

• Content Modeling — Strong for complex content structures
• Multi-site — Built-in multi-site support
• Localization — Strong localization and internationalization features
• Content Editor UX — Great content editing experience
• Plugin Ecosystem — Large ecosystem of plugins

Best For:

• Complex content structures
• Multi-site projects
• Teams familiar with PHP
• Projects requiring extensive localization

Works Well With:

• Next.js frontends
• Any frontend framework
• Existing PHP infrastructure

Considerations:

• PHP-based (may not suit all teams)
• Requires hosting and maintenance
• Commercial license required for some features

WordPress (Headless): Leverage Existing Expertise

WordPress can be used as a headless CMS by exposing its REST API or GraphQL.

Key Features:

• Familiar Interface — Content editors already know WordPress
• Massive Ecosystem — Largest plugin ecosystem available
• Flexibility — Can be self-hosted or managed
• Mature Platform — Battle-tested and widely supported

Best For:

• Teams with existing WordPress expertise
• Projects needing extensive plugin functionality
• Organizations with WordPress infrastructure
• Content teams familiar with WordPress

Works Well With:

• Next.js frontends for best performance
• Any frontend framework
• Existing WordPress installations

Considerations:

• Not originally designed as headless CMS
• Can be overkill for simple projects
• Performance considerations with large sites

Shopify: E-commerce Focused

Shopify provides commerce APIs for building custom storefronts.

Key Features:

• Commerce APIs — Comprehensive e-commerce APIs
• Payment Processing — Built-in payment and inventory management
• Managed Service — Fully managed, no hosting concerns
• Developer Tools — Good developer experience
• Storefront API — GraphQL API for custom storefronts

Best For:

• E-commerce projects
• Online stores needing custom frontends
• Projects requiring robust payment processing
• Teams wanting managed commerce infrastructure

Works Well With:

• Next.js for custom storefronts
• React applications
• Any frontend framework

Considerations:

• Focused on e-commerce (not general content)
• Transaction fees apply
• Less flexible for non-commerce content

Choosing the Right Headless CMS

Consider these factors:

1. Team Expertise

• Use what your team knows or can learn quickly
• Consider content editor familiarity
• Evaluate developer experience requirements

2. Content Complexity

• Simple content structures can use any CMS
• Complex structures benefit from Craft CMS or Strapi
• E-commerce requires Shopify or similar

3. Hosting Preferences

• Self-hosted: Strapi, Craft CMS, WordPress
• Managed: Shopify, WordPress.com
• Consider maintenance overhead

4. Budget

• Open source: Strapi, Craft CMS (with license), WordPress
• Commercial: Shopify, managed WordPress
• Factor in hosting and maintenance costs

5. Integration Requirements

• Evaluate API capabilities
• Check plugin/extension ecosystem
• Consider third-party integrations

Implementation Tips

When implementing a headless CMS:

• Use Static Site Generation — Generate static pages at build time for best performance
• Cache API Responses — Implement caching strategies for API calls
• Optimize Images — Use image optimization services or CDNs
• Monitor Performance — Track API response times and frontend performance
• Content Preview — Implement preview functionality for content editors

We consistently hit:

• Sub-second page loads with headless CMS + Next.js
• Strong SEO performance
• Good content editor experience
• Scalable architecture

Conclusion

Headless CMS solutions offer flexibility, performance, and scalability.

By separating content management from presentation, you can:

• Use modern frontend frameworks
• Achieve better performance
• Scale independently
• Support multiple channels

The right choice depends on your team's expertise, content complexity, and project requirements.

Strapi works for teams needing full control. Craft CMS is strong for complex content. WordPress works when leveraging existing expertise. Shopify is good for e-commerce.

When paired with Next.js, any of these headless CMS solutions can deliver strong performance and developer experience.

Ready to Build?

Evaluating headless CMS solutions or need help implementing one? We offer technical audits and development services.

Contact us to discuss your needs and get guidance on selecting and implementing the right headless CMS.