Let’s break down content management systems! While no one direction can solve all of your problems, it’s good to know your options. The main two being traditional and “headless” CMS.’
What is a Traditional CMS? A traditional CMS, like WordPress or Drupal, connects the front-end and the back-end of a website in a neat and easy application code base.
Pros
- Entire site is served from a single system.
- Easy to manage all content with a lower technical barrier to entry.
- Large communities for support (that often have plenty of templates and themes).
Cons
- The big con of using a traditional CMS is that they requires CMS-specific development. That can limit your flexibility.
When to Use a Traditional CMS:
- Traditional CMS platforms are fantastic systems that work for a variety of deployment types.
- Use them if you don’t need to share content with other digital properties.
- If you need a fast set-up.
What is a Headless CMS? A headless CMS is not connected directly with a front end at all. It deals strictly with the content via an application programming interface (API).
Pros
- Content is ready to be served on any device.
- API developers can worry less about content and more about presentation.
- Front-end agnostic.
Cons
- Limited content preview.
- More upfront integration/configuration effort.
When to Use a Headless CMS:
- Websites or web apps that use JavaScript frameworks such as React, Angular, or VueJs.
- Any environment in which you need to publish content across multiple platforms all at once.
Check out the full post by UDig to see all the details when considering your CMS route.
