Is headless CMS the future?

Headless CMS. The ability to produce structured content once and deliver it through APIs to any given channel—be it traditional websites, apps, wearables, IoT, or something hitherto undreamed of. It might sound too good to be true, and sometimes it is, but in certain cases headless really is the promised unicorn.

How to make sense of all of this? We have written extensively on the topic of headless here at Enonic, so let us try to help you navigate through the potentially misleading terrain that is headless and hybrid CMS with a compilation of our articles.

How to choose the right headless CMS:

Introduction to headless CMS

History of CMS

This historical overview goes through all the important phases of the content management system’s evolution, from early HTML to the fragmented future which headless CMS seeks to address.

What is headless CMS?

A basic introduction to what headless CMS is (separating the content layer from the presentation layer—letting editors create content to be sent to multiple channels via APIs), listing some benefits and limitations in the process.

Headless CMS explained

Get up to date quickly with this essential overview of all things headless, dealing with the background, the advantages, the challenges, explaining "hybrid CMS", and taking a look at what lies beyond the current headless scene.

Headless CMS for marketers

By its nature, headless CMS is a very technology-oriented topic. So what essentials should editors and marketers know about? This article tells marketers what they can expect from a pure headless CMS (no previews, for instance), as well as the principle of “same content, different channels,” the time-saving features, and thinking broader than the web.

7 (not so secret) secrets about headless CMS

Still having difficulties with understanding the concept of headless CMS? This article lists 7 “secrets” that can help you on your way—including a little history, front-end frameworks, some serious advantages, some potential disadvantages, the hybrid alternative, and the fact that headless might not be that good a metaphor after all.

4 reasons why headless CMS is so popular

This article explores why headless CMS has become so popular lately, and lists 4 reasons: that traditional CMS has become a nuisance for developers, different devices have different requirements, the web has developed into offering richer experiences, and that a headless CMS can be an easier choice in that it doesn’t affect the entire architecture like a traditional CMS.

Challenges with headless

Headless CMS: Expectations vs. reality

While headless CMS is being touted as the second coming of Christ by some, it is important to keep a check on your expectations vs. the real world. Be sure to check out whether headless solves every content management challenge, improves the editorial experience, and more in this article.

How to manage content for single-page applications

Single-page applications (SPAs) utilize rich web front-ends to improve the user experience, and can work smoothly together with a headless CMS. However, there are some challenges and we list both them and some proposed solutions.

Don’t choose headless when building a website

If your organization only wants a website, don’t choose headless CMS. As simple as that. Learn why in this thought-provoking article.

Next generation headless CMS

What is hybrid CMS?

As the saying goes: you can't have your cake and eat it too. But we might make an exception for the case of hybrid CMS. If you want a traditional CMS to maintain your traditional website—but also want structured content and APIs for headless delivery, a hybrid CMS can serve both needs in equal measures.

Hybrid is the new headless

Many people are convinced that a headless CMS is better at a content first approach, omnichannel readiness, low operating cost, etc., but we demonstrate that a hybrid CMS can do these things just as well—and even surpass headless in other areas.

7 benefits you get from a hybrid CMS

If you’re still not convinced about the benefits of a hybrid CMS, maybe this article can turn the scales. Detailing API customization, URL handling, landing page editing, content preview, and fast deployment among other things, the article quickly explains how hybrid CMS offers the best of both worlds.

Composable architecture: What, why, and when?

Composable shifts the focus from monolithic software suites and hosting to choosing the best of breed solutions from a variety of online services and platforms. All this boils down to APIs—changing focus from infrastructure to an API-first approach.

Composable architecture: Using the CMS as your director

What comes after headless CMS? A composable CMS marks the next natural step in the evolution of content management systems, and offers several benefits.

Enonic as a headless alternative

Enonic is headless

Some people seem to think that Enonic is a traditional CMS, but we are actually headless. Or more correctly: we are a hybrid CMS which can be fully headless if required.

5 reasons to go headless with Enonic

Why should you go headless with us? We mention easy content management, smart image handling, user-friendly forms system, future-proof technology in the form of being open-source, cloud-agnostic, and having a flexible GraphQL API, and the fact that we are a hybrid CMS—offering quality for both developers and editors.

Why go headless with a hybrid CMS?

There’s not only ample options for the headless crowd to choose Enonic, organizations requiring traditional CMS capabilities can have their fill, too. In fact, hybrid architecture leaves you with even more possibilities and combinations.

6 reasons to choose Enonic as your hybrid CMS

In this piece, we flesh out the reasons why Enonic should be the hybrid CMS of your choice. We mention a flexible and scalable system, intuitive and effective content management, powerful image handling, responsive page editor, excellent customer service, and—you guessed it—the possibility for pure headless.

Is headless the future?

So, is headless CMS really the future? The answer is “yes,” but with some reservations.

As for the “yes” part, the omnichannel world is here to stay. There is no going back to only desktop computers with web browsers, today and tomorrow we will continue to see the fragmentation of channels, devices, and platforms—from PCs, smartphones, and wearables to web-based APIs, IoT, and digital signage.

As for the “reservations” part, whether headless is right for you or not depends on what you’re looking for. If you are building rich web apps, headless CMS is probably the way to go. If you also need a website and the classic functions of a CMS—like presentation, URL management, preview, landing page editor, and visual editor—a hybrid CMS is the natural choice.