Headless CMS: Why Should You Move from a Traditional CMS
Introduction
Your website is a critical element of your organisation’s digital footprint. Companies that adapt to the trends and novelties of the ever-evolving technological landscape seem to gain a competitive advantage over others. One such trend is the slow rise of headless Content Management Systems (CMS). Let’s explore the concept of a headless CMS, what makes it popular among giant corporations like Nike, IBM and Netflix over a traditional CMS and why your organisation should be making a switch to this as well.
What is a Headless CMS?
A headless CMS is a backend-only computer software system that serves as a repository for all digital content by separating it from the presentation layer of a website. The terminology “headless” comes from the idea of the absence of a “head” in the full development body a.k.a the front-end of the CMS.
This allows editors to create content that can be sent simultaneously to multiple channels via APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and lets developers use any technology stack to build and render the front-end experience. Unlike a traditional CMS, the headless CMS can create, manage and store content independently from how it is presented to the users on the website.
Headless CMS vs Traditional CMS
Traditional CMS platforms like WordPress, Drupal and Joomla, allow control over both the backend (where the content is created) and the front-end of a website. These systems offer a range of themes and templates that make it easier for even non-developers to set up and manage a website without much coding knowledge. The tight coupling between the delivery and the CMS allows users to code, test and deploy editorial and end-user functionality as one package.
However, an organisation cannot equally read or present the same content on multiple devices (Mobile app, wearable device, Internet of Things (IoT) or digital signage) when the presentation layer was designed exclusively for a web application. Therefore, due to its monolithic structure, a traditional CMS can limit the content scalability, flexibility and the ability to adapt to new technologies.
On the other hand, a headless CMS decouples the content management from its presentation by using microservices architecture to communicate with each other without relying on one another. This allows developers to create custom front-end experiences tailored to unique requirements with more modern frameworks and technologies such as React, Angular or Vue.js without affecting the functionality of the other services.
Why should you choose a headless CMS?
Headless architecture is a disruptive technology that is gaining momentum among the digital community. We as a generation have become increasingly reliant on a range of devices for our daily work and headless architecture can act as Lego bricks that combine the best components of the stack to give a more effective output. Here are some benefits of adopting a headless CMS over a traditional one:
Flexibility & Customisation: Headless architecture gives developers the freedom to build custom front-end experiences without being limited by the constraints of a traditional CMS. This allows more creativity across the team and provides an opportunity to find more innovative ways to present content.
Omnichannel Content Delivery: A headless CMS can seamlessly deliver content across many devices at once. This provides users access to the same content regardless of the device it is viewed from and helps to improve the workflow of the development team.
Speed & Scalability: As businesses grow and evolve, their content requirements may continue to change. Headless architecture can give a faster turnaround time on increasing content volumes and traffic without compromising the application’s performance.
Futureproofing: Headless CMS platforms are designed to be flexible and adapt to the changing nature of technology. Using APIs can help businesses to incorporate new front-end frameworks or tools as they become available.
What should you consider when adopting a headless CMS?
Opting for headless architecture in the world of traditional CMS platforms can be daunting. Here are a few factors to consider when going headless:
1. Developer Ecosystem
Implementing and managing a headless CMS for an enterprise-level web application does require some developer knowledge. Ensure that your team has the necessary skills on this subject or consider collaborating with a team of external developers who are more versed in this domain.
To help your development team effectively upskill themselves, create an ecosystem where they can share knowledge, ask for help and figure out solutions together. Actively maintaining documentation and educating content editors on how to sue and run a headless CMS can help employees to adapt faster.
It is also important to equip your headless CMS with an ecosystem with established integrations and extensions ensuring that it has API-based importing, delivery and management for programmatic content control. It is also necessary to provide access to developer tools like JavaScript SDKs, libraries and demo source codes
2. Content Infrastructure
Your content management system should be able to provide the right infrastructure to assist in current and future content delivery needs. Make sure to plan and design how the content will be structured and modelled in the headless architecture. Developers can choose to independently take care of the setup or use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to seamlessly deliver content at a faster pace.
A well-designed content model ensures that the CMS will be able to handle various types of content effectively within a range of devices. The requirement for content can vary based on the unique needs of each business. Therefore, it’s important to do thorough research on self-hosted platforms, using cloud services, security concerns and flexible APIs to find the ideal approach to build a headless CMS.
3. Content Production
Developers are one part of the equation, there’s the marketers and editors as well! It is vital to opt for a CMS that is intuitive or easy to learn, so that the marketing team can effectively create, update and manage the structured content.
Make sure to select a solution that can compose the content in a contextual preview while remaining responsive. Implementing a third-party application can help to maintain a similar structure for all content types, ensuring faster delivery times. It is also important to set up analytics to gain insights and track content performance.
Conclusion
Modernising your website through headless architecture has significant advantages in terms of scalability, flexibility and multichannel content delivery. A shift towards headless architecture is gaining momentum and companies that embrace the new wave can provide an exceptional user experience to their audience.
The Swivel Tech team offers a resource pool of experienced individuals with diverse skills within the technical domain. Check out our case studies on collaborations with industry-leading companies to learn more about our robust presence within the global tech sphere.
FAQs
What is a headless CMS?
A headless CMS is a backend only content management system that separates the presentation layer (the front-end) from where the content is managed. The term “headless” comes from the idea of separating the “head” i.e. the front-end from the “body” or the backend. This concept is synonymous with how the head and body in human anatomy are synonymous with the content presentation and management aspects of development.
Can I use any front-end development framework with a headless CMS?
Yes. This is on the core features of a headless CMS. Once you establish a headless CMS, any front-end framework including React, Angular or Vue can be used if they can make a dedicated HTTP request via APIs.
What is the best headless CMS?
Currently, Strapi is the best open-source headless CMS. It is a 100% JavaScript-based application that can be fully customised and is intuitive for non-developers. Strapi also supports TypeScript and is a developer-first application.
What are the security benefits of a headless CMS?
A headless CMS provides built-in security features including a powerful firewall, SSL certification and personalised CDN. The use of API integrations to separately display content, makes the CMS less vulnerable to attacks like DDoS and relying on cloud-based infrastructure helps to secure valuable content without any system failures or storage threats.
