What is a headless CMS?

The presentation of content is tightly coupled with how content is created, managed and stored in a headful CMS (also known as traditional, monolithic, or legacy CMS). In contrast, the front-end (“head”) is disconnected from the back-end (“body”) in a headless CMS.

Content is served from the CMS via an API, meaning a headless CMS can be integrated with a wide variety of front-end solutions, offering more flexibility than a headful CMS. Headful platforms may be easier to use for non-technical teams out of the box, but are also limited in how you can customize the platform and the content that can be created within it.

The most popular headless CMS platforms are Sanity and Contentful. Popular headful CMS platforms include Shopify, Squarespace, Drupal, and Joomla.

What is a CMS?

A content management system (CMS) is software that allows users to create, manage and update content with little to no technical support or knowledge. In its simplest form, a CMS is a user-friendly content manager. Using a CMS empowers your wider team to build and manage web pages, freeing up time for developers to focus on more complex and higher-order tasks. Using a CMS allows multiple people to update and work on your site at the same time, as your content is stored on a shared platform.

Common features of a CMS include:

• Content creation: allowing users to easily create and format content

• Content storage: keeping all of your content in one place, in a consistent and organized fashion

• Workflows: assigning permissions for managing content

• Publishing: pushing changes to a live production environment

Two of the primary use cases for a CMS are to manage public-facing websites and private intranets. Depending on the CMS you choose, the content can be sent to a wide variety of presentation layers (such as mobile apps and microsites).

Headless vs. headful CMS architecture

Authors create content using the editor interface of a headless CMS. The content is then built into bundled code by a site builder. A distribution platform deploys the content to production. The result is a performant site that often outperforms sites built using other methods. (We describe these three pieces in more depth in the Headless architecture section.)

Summary

The way content is created, managed, and served on a website is fundamentally different between a headless CMS and a headful. A headless CMS offers more flexibility to integrate with a variety of front-end solutions and devices, making it an excellent option for highly scalable and performance-focused websites. In a headful CMS, the presentation layer is tightly integrated with the back-end, whereas in a headless CMS, the presentation layer is decoupled from the content management system. Non-technical team members can edit content, optimize for SEO and performance, and use the same content across different channels and touchpoints.