A normal CMS is a body, the “head” would be the front end elements like the front end framework and templating system. A headless platform has no default frontend device to determine how the content is introduced to the quit user. Instead, it’s front-end agnostic, meaning that your content is raw and can be published anywhere, via any framework or API tool.
We’ve been using a content management system for more than 20 years, However, the world has changed today. We live in a mobile era and have seen a growth in the use of communication channels including internet of things devices but the digital assistant and virtual reality but are you ready for this change and how about your traditional CMS?
The content management system was built for the websites. They gave us the comfort of having all the content and the editing interface templates in custom code in a single environment. But now that’s no longer enough today content can be displayed on any device using any format.
However traditional CMS was never designed to cope with that and we need a new breed of CMS one that can make content available through any channel and here’s where headless CMS comes in with Headless CMS it always allows you focus on what important managing the content and delivering it to any channel and at the same time it doesn’t try to control your presentation it only provides the content through its application programming interface.
The API make sure content is available through any channel and on any device you can write your website or mobile applications using any programming language and still use your favorite tools and own development process it also provides a higher level of security much better scalability in theory you can turn any traditional CMS into a headless CMS one by simply and adding an API.
However, you’ll still need to take care of the CMS the big advantage of the headless concept is that you can fully decouple CMS and use it as a cloud service. Using headless CMS you can focus on your application and the CMS provider takes care of everything else including availability, security, and performance. Use your headless CMS where you need to publish content whether it is on web and mobile applications or any other channels and devices. It allows you to focus on one thing that really matters creating great digital experiences for your customers.
Headless CMS VS Traditional CMS:
The traditional CMS is limited in its display options. because traditional CMS contains the frontend files for the layout and style of your CMS. This includes CSS, JS, and HTML files. The normal CMS also contains the backend files which are its architecture. These files include the database, code, and schema. Everything is established in advance. WordPress may be a perfect example of a traditional CMS.
A headless content management system gives businesses the ability to deliver content as desired on a variety of platforms and channels, such as Butter CMS, which doesn’t have the presentation layer. The CMS manages the content but not its presentation. Being ‘Headless’ definitely does not mean that the CMS is missing the header section. It means that you can use it as a generic content management system irrespective of the technology used to build the front-end.
How does a Headless CMS work?
Most headless CMSes are offered as a Software as a Service (SaaS), meaning that your editors will need to log into an internet application in which the APIs are hosted on a cloud-based backend. Some headless CMSes will allow you to host the entire solution on your own server and database. This model means you’ve got to try to do your own scaling and operations.
- Headless CMS, is a backend-only content management system (CMS) built as a content repository that makes content accessible via a RESTful API for display on any device.
- Giving editors an interface for managing content.
- Providing that content via APIs for developers to question and build applications with.
Advantages of Headless CMS:
– No tight coupling between business applications and CMS, leading to the flexibility that permits you to settle on any technology and framework you like for your web application.
– Headless CMS promotes an agile methodology of working because content creators and developers can work simultaneously, and projects can be finished smoothly and faster.
– Content creators can work in whichever headless CMS they like and developers can build any kind of front end they want in their preferred language (e.g. Ruby, PHP, or Swift) and then simply integrate the two via APIs over RESTful communication.
– Headless CMS is much easier to use or less difficult.
– Its ability is straightforward to integrate with new channels, as we aren’t blocked through the functionalities available during a CMS.
– Easily manage microservice-based solution landscapes. Improved scalability and security thanks to dividing responsibilities of authoring and delivery, delivery is often different scaled, and therefore the authoring phase is often absolutely hidden and does not work for the backyard world behind business firewalls.
How do I choose the right headless CMS?
There are a lot of options out there, and it can be challenging to navigate their many features. We think it’s best to aim for a Headless CMS that can let you grow, and be adapted as your needs evolve in the future. Here’s a list of questions you can ask yourself in order to better evaluate the field:
- Can I create the sorts of content structures?
- Do I need to take care of Headless CMS hosting and maintenance myself?
- Will my content be stored in a privacy-compliant manner?
- Would real-time editing and collaboration improve my workflows?
- How does it manage my files and important image assets?
Conclusion
The headless CMS concept is one born of the demands of the digital era and a business’s need to focus on engaging customers with personalized content via multiple channels at all stages of the customer journey. but we think that chopping off the presentation layer of your content and making it accessible for more than just one platform if needed is the approach we should aim for! Just one instance of it can be used for display on any device; website, mobile, tablet, smartwatches, etc.