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Exploring the pros and cons of headless CMS
A brief introduction.
The rise of headless architecture has been a game-changer, providing unprecedented flexibility and control over multi-channel content delivery. While traditional monolithic CMS platforms continue to serve many businesses well, the emergence of headless CMS has presented a new set of opportunities and challenges. In this article, we'll delve into the pros and cons of headless CMS and explore some of the top choices available in the market today.
What is a headless CMS in simple terms?
Think of a headless CMS as a content management system that focuses only on storing and delivering content, without deciding how it should look on a website or app. It's like a chef preparing the ingredients for a dish without deciding how the final dish will be presented on the plate. This separation allows developers to use any technology they want to design the website or app, giving them more freedom and flexibility to create unique and customised digital experiences for users.
Pros of Headless CMS
1. Flexibility and Customisation
Headless CMS enables unparalleled flexibility, allowing developers to utilise any front-end framework or technology to present content. This versatility ensures that the user experience can be precisely tailored to meet specific business requirements.
2. Improved Performance
By separating the back-end and front-end, headless CMS significantly enhances website performance. With reduced load times and improved scalability, users can enjoy a seamless and faster browsing experience.
3. Future-Proofing
The decoupled nature of headless CMS ensures that content can be easily repurposed across various platforms and devices, providing businesses with a future-proof solution that can adapt to evolving technological trends.
Cons of Headless CMS
1. Steep Learning Curve
Traditional CMS's offer one-click deployments and theme installation making it really simple for a beginner to get started. Headless CMS typically requires a certain level of technical expertise, making it less user-friendly for non-technical users. This can pose a challenge for content creators and marketers who are accustomed to traditional CMS interfaces.
2. Increased Development Complexity
The separation of front-end and back-end introduces additional complexity into the development process, requiring coordination between different teams and a more robust technical infrastructure. A typical CMS would be hosted within a single environment. Whilst this can be beneficial from a maintenance perspective, it provides a single point of failure.
3. Potential Higher Costs
The implementation and maintenance costs of a headless CMS can potentially be higher compared to traditional CMS solutions. This is due to the requirement of 2 web applications, 1 to host the CMS and at least 1 to host the user facing website.
Main Choices of Headless CMS
1. Strapi
Strapi, an open-source headless CMS, offers a user-friendly interface, extensive customisability, and a robust plugin system, making it a popular choice among developers looking for flexibility and control.
Being open-source, you can host yourself. Alternatively Strapi offers a fully managed cloud offering, boasting 1,000,000 API requests, 500gb asset bandwith and automatic backups. Starting at $99/month.
2. Contentful
Contentful provides a comprehensive content infrastructure that allows users to create, manage, and distribute content across various platforms and devices, making it a preferred choice for large-scale enterprise applications.
The free tier of Contentful is restricted to 25 content types, but has allowances for 2,000,000 API requests and 0.75tb of asset bandwidth. The next tier up, Medium is $350/month
3. Sanity
Sanity is a fully customisable, real-time headless CMS that emphasises collaboration and offers a seamless editing experience, making it ideal for teams working on complex, content-driven projects.
Sanity offers a free tier with 500,000 API requests per month and monthly asset bandwidth of 10gb
In summary
While some of the solutions listed above a relatively new, we feel the concept of headless is here to stay. It opens a world of opportunities for multi-channel outlets with a single source of truth.
It also empowers frontend teams to deliver exceptional results without being shackled to the confides of backend technical stack of the CMS.
Is headless the right choice for you?
While each of these headless CMS options offers unique features and benefits, understanding the specific needs of your business is crucial in determining the most suitable solution. By carefully considering the pros and cons, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your organisation's goals and requirements.
We can help you explorer the potential benefits, step by step, and as a technical partner help you navigate the options.
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