Headless CMS

A content management system can be considered headless if it provides a way to create and distribute content to several front ends such as websites and mobile apps. While a traditional CMS is coupled with one presentation layer (or front end) and can display content only within that layer, a headless CMS is a repository of content that is provided via an API to any third party and can be displayed in any way desired.

Why use a headless CMS?

   1. Software development is faster and easier

Developers can be flexible in choosing a programming language for the front end, they don’t need to stick to the requirements of a particular platform, and they can build any type of integration with other systems. They can also reuse content and combine it with other sources.

   2. A headless CMS will never become a legacy system

It won’t be a problem to start a new online channel of communication with customers or re-brand a front end as long as your CMS is headless. Such initiatives don’t require upgrading your CMS because it is decoupled from the front end.

   3. Headless CMSs are designed to provide an omnichannel customer experience

Instead of creating and managing content for each channel separately, content creators can create content once and display it consistently across multiple channels like websites, mobile apps, in-store devices, and social media accounts.

Business owners have cited other benefits of using a headless CMS, including reduced maintenance costs and a smaller content editing team.

Is Sitecore a headless CMS?

Although some may disagree, Sitecore is, in fact, a true headless CMS. Sitecore has never marketed its platform as a headless CMS, though it has used a headless architecture since releasing its very first versions. See the following article for a more in-depth discussion of this topic.

What are some examples of other headless CMSs?

Other headless CMSs include Sanity.io, Contentful, Magnolia, Directus, Netlify, and Kentico Kontent.

Headless CMS vs. serverless CMS: What’s the difference?

While a headless CMS doesn’t have a presentation layer and is considered front-end agnostic, the term serverless implies that a CMS’s back-end logic is maintained by a third party on demand. The owners of a serverless CMS don’t buy a back-end server; they only pay per use for third-party resources in cases when code needs to be served. Thus, a headless CMS can also be serverless when bought as SaaS (software as a service).