Attention Headless CMS Developers: Use Any Frontend Technology (And Still Give Your Content Teams an Awesome Authoring Experience)

As a developer using a headless CMS, you often feel like your prayers have finally been answered. You don’t need to be restricted to using specific frontend technologies and can experiment with the latest libraries and frameworks. 

Many companies turn to a headless CMS because it allows them to finally deliver content to multiple channels that include not only enterprise websites, but also mobile apps, e-commerce experiences, voice assistants, intranets, AR/VR headsets, digital signage, and more. 

But sometimes there’s a problem…

The Headless CMS Content Authoring Headache 

One of the biggest challenges companies face when working with a headless CMS is that if you choose the wrong platform, you will alienate your content authors. This is because most headless CMSs have a very basic forms-based content UI, and limited preview capabilities. Advanced content editing tools such as in-context editing and drag/drop page building are non-existant in these headless CMSs.

When this happens, it makes it harder for marketers and other business users to create, edit and manage content.  Even simple tasks such as creating landing pages for the latest campaign may require developer support, who now have to respond to support requests to help with content publication. 

If developers need to spend all their time helping content authors, then they won’t be able to get anything done. Unfortunately, with some headless CMS solutions, that is the case. 

However, CrafterCMS has a solution. 

CrafterCMS: Developer-Friendliness With An Awesome Authoring Experience

CrafterCMS is a headless “plus” CMS that not only provides developers with the tools they need and enjoy using, but also includes a best-in-class authoring experience that gives content authors the freedom they need. 

Developer-Friendly

CrafterCMS is a headless CMS that gives developers complete freedom to work with any technology they need. From the latest JavaScript frameworks to Java, Groovy, and more. Developers are also given a full range of API support and can use REST or GraphQL as they see fit. These APIs allow developers to extend the functionality of the CMS and easily integrate with third-party tools. CrafterCMS’s API-first architecture allows built-in scripting support and modular packaging and enables developers to customize and innovate as required to build digital experiences. 

Git-based Content Repository

CrafterCMS is also a Git-based CMS. It supports modern development workflows, including continuous integration and delivery, as well as continuous publishing (CI/CD/CP). By leveraging Git, CrafterCMS provides the benefits of multi-file versioning, branching, history tracking and auditing that enterprises require. Content authors can also benefit from these features without worrying about the underlying technical mechanics, preventing the typical headaches and bottlenecks introduced by database-centric CMSs. 

Decoupled Architecture 

In CrafterCMS, content authoring is also decoupled from the content delivery engine. This provides greater security, scalability, and reliability. Both platforms are API-first, so you can develop, extend, customize and/or integrate very easily.

Client-Side and Server-Side Rendering

Another key element of headless CMS platforms, CrafterCMS supports client-side rendering(CSR). However, it also offers server-side rendering (SSR). Freemarker templating and Groovy scripting are natively supported on the server-side, while integrations with Node, Next, and other JavaScript-based frameworks are also native. When combined with RESTful APIs, GraphQL, and platform-oriented SDKs, developers have complete freedom and flexibility to get their feature development done quickly. 

DevContentOps

Developers that enjoy the ability to swiftly deliver software applications with the help of DevOps don’t need to alter their workflows when dealing with content applications. The benefits of DevOps can be extended to content-driven software applications and digital experiences through DevContentOps. Developers, content authors, and IT operations can collaborate to release new features and publish content updates quickly without worrying about content freezes and other issues cropping up.

All This Plus Powerful WYSIWYG Content Authoring

With CrafterCMS, developers can access all of these features, while content authors can still leverage WYSIWYG content editing, drag-and-drop experience building, in-context previews, and more. Regardless of what front-end (or backend) technologies you use – whether they are React/Vue/Angular for web apps, React Native or Flutter or native frameworks for mobile apps, A-Frame for AR/VR, etc – your content authoring teams will have best-in-class content authoring/preview/publishing capabilities across all technologies. Freedom without the headache. 

Discover more about CrafterCMS in our webinar: Introducing CrafterCMS v4.0.