Headless CMS (content management system) in recent times has come to trump the traditional CMS when juxtaposed as content management systems. The headless CMS has become the best content management system built from scratch as a repository for content.
Traditional CMS is now too archaic to catch up with the advanced mobile sites, digital displays, applications, conversational interfaces, and the rest of such technology.
Headless CMS vs Traditional CMS
This content management system earned the name headless for both literal and practical reasons. We call the head of a website the frontend. So take off the frontend. This leaves the website “headless.” This became the origin of the title headless CMS. So it is safe to define the headless CMS as a backend-only content management system by this inference.
A Headless CMS helps the management of both creation, modification, and publication of content whereas the traditional CMS is bloated with many complex, cumbersome and often unnecessary aspects of content management.
Headless CMS puts the user in the driver’s seat with full control over how the content created is gotten and displayed. It tailors its display of content to suit the needs of the user by taking into consideration what devices they use and what channels they choose to operate on.
The most critical thing to the headless CMS remains the delivery of content. This storage and delivery of content serves the needs of the user. And this proves the chief reason it remains miles ahead of the traditional CMS.
Understanding the Traditional Content Management System (CMS) and its functions is required before you can make any sense of the Headless Content Management System.
The early days of web development heralded the birth of the traditional CMS, and it has been around for a long time. Unlike the Headless CMS, the Traditional CMS handles both front and backend content management.
The major problem with these content management systems is that the same content they provide in web-mode frameworks are not flexible enough to show on any other digital platform because of how they are organized.
As a result of the needs required from living in today’s modern digital world, the Headless CMS was born.
Do I need a Headless CMS?
The answer is ”Yes” for some people and “No” for others. Your specific requirements should drive the answer to this question.
One CMS can be superior to the other and vice versa in different situations, so the below advantages of using a Headless CMS against a traditional CMS will help you decide.
| Requirements | Traditional CMS | Headless CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Free technology choice | Yes | Yes |
| Platform independence | No | Yes |
| Cross-platform support | No | Yes |
| Developers’ first | No | Yes |
| Plugin apocalypse | Yes | No |
| Localization | Yes | Yes |
| Simple code | No | Yes |
| Security | No | Yes |
| Maintenance | No | Yes |
The unique thing about a Headless CMS is that it is not limited to any particular website.
Your content can be stored and delivered to anywhere you want via an application program interface (API). Not having a front end (that is being headless) makes it possible to use the content on different mobile operating systems like Android, iOS, and even on a Windows device.
Use Cases for Headless CMS
- It is used to design a website with a technology that you have become conversant with.
- It is used for applications and sites that make use of frameworks from JavaScript. Examples include; React, Angular, and VueJs.
- Websites such as Jekyll and Middleman, which are created with static generators for websites, are best supported by headless CMS.
- Always suitable for and found in traditional mobile applications such as Windows Phone, Android and iOS.
- Used to offer more information and data on e-commerce sites as it is a vital part of the websites.
Options
The headless space is growing rapidly with all indicators pointing towards Headless CMS truly becoming the future of content management systems. However, ButterCMS is currently championing the Headless CMS innovation for better content management for businesses.
Consider the many possible platforms. Start with features and concepts. ButterCMS’ Headless CMS proves a great solution for businesses. It begin modernizing the way they manage content.
It possesses a friendly API. Guides and SDKs for 18+ tech stacks make integration for developers simple. But it also handles marketers control. And creates and updates their content.
Conclusion
You will find no universally ideal content management system. Every situation proves different.
However, take out the front end of a website. It functions as the layer responsible for the presentation of content. So more platforms gain access to it. It seems logically reasonable and the best thing to do objectively.
WordPress’ Traditional CMS, for all of its flaws, no longer proves ideal. As a result, a lot of users need something else to serve their content management needs.
The herculean task of frequently updating remains quite a challenge on its own. And compare it to what the Headless CMS offers. The flexibility to accommodate trends on its own shows why the popularity of the Traditional CMS is waning fast.
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