Contentful is a headless content management system (headless CMS). It allows businesses to manage content centrally and deliver it flexibly to various channels—such as websites, apps, or digital displays—via APIs.

What does “Headless” mean?

Traditional CMS platforms (like WordPress) handle both content management and content presentation (e.g., rendering on a website). A headless CMS separates the content backend from the presentation frontend—hence the term “headless,” as the “head” (the frontend) is removed.

Key features of Contentful:

• API-first: Content is accessed via REST or GraphQL APIs.

• Flexible content modeling: You can define your own content types (e.g., blog posts, products, testimonials) with customizable fields.

• Multi-language support: Well-suited for managing multilingual content.

• Cloud-based: No server maintenance needed.

• Integration-friendly: Works well with tools like React, Vue, Next.js, Shopify, SAP, etc.

Who is Contentful for?

• Companies with multiple delivery channels (websites, apps, smartwatches, etc.)

• Teams that want to develop frontend and backend separately

• Large brands with global content needs

• Developer teams seeking a scalable and flexible CMS

A Headless CMS (Content Management System) is a system where the backend (content management) is completely separated from the frontend (content presentation).

In detail:

Traditional CMS (e.g., WordPress):

• Backend and frontend are tightly coupled.

• You create content in the system and it's rendered directly using built-in themes and templates with HTML.

• Pros: All-in-one solution, quick to get started.

• Cons: Limited flexibility, harder to deliver content across multiple platforms (e.g., website + mobile app).

Headless CMS:

• Backend only.

• Content is accessed via an API (usually REST or GraphQL).

• The frontend (e.g., a React site, native app, or digital signage) fetches the content dynamically.

• Pros: Very flexible, ideal for multi-channel content delivery.

• Cons: Frontend must be built separately (requires more development effort).

Common use cases:

• Websites built with modern JavaScript frameworks (like React, Next.js, Vue)

• Mobile apps that use the same content as the website

• Omnichannel strategies: website, app, smart devices, etc.

Examples of Headless CMS platforms:

• Contentful

• Strapi

• Sanity

• Directus

• Prismic

• Storyblok (a hybrid with visual editing capabilities)