Are you looking to understand the difference between a headless CMS vs traditional CMS? This guide is for you.
There’s so much buzz around headless CMS today as the best way to build faster, high-performing web applications flexibly. If you use a traditional CMS like WordPress, all this buzz can feel overwhelming or like something only developers should care about.
So in this guide, we’ll break down the differences between headless CMS vs traditional CMS simply, to help you understand this once and for all. We’ll also show you how to enjoy the benefits of headless with WordPress without worrying about the technical side of doing this.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What each type of CMS actually is (in plain English).
- A clear, side-by-side comparison.
- Why headless CMS is getting so popular.
- Whether WordPress can (or should) be headless.
- How you can get the best of both, without going full headless.
Let’s start with the basics: what exactly is a traditional CMS?
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TL;DR: The difference between headless CMS vs Traditional CMS
- In traditional CMSs, content creation, management, and presentation are all handled within a single system. In a headless CMS, the CMS is decoupled from the frontend and only handles content management.
- Although headless CMSs offer developers greater flexibility and faster, more secure websites, they can be complex to set up and manage.
- The WordPress plugin Simply Static allows you to use WordPress (a traditional CMS) as a headless CMS, without the complexities of setting up a headless CMS from scratch.
What is a traditional CMS?
A traditional CMS is a content management system that integrates content management in the backend and content presentation in the frontend into a single system. The content database or admin area, where you create and store content and where your content is displayed, is connected directly.
One such CMS is WordPress, the most popular content management system. Using WordPress as an example, let’s understand how a traditional CMS works.
How a traditional CMS works
A traditional CMS like WordPress usually has an admin dashboard (the backend) where you can log in to create and edit content.
For instance:
- Writing a blog post.
- Creating a landing page
- Creating product descriptions.
You will then select the themes or templates that dictate how the content will be displayed. The CMS automatically takes the content and renders it into web pages. In the case of WordPress, it will generate web pages on the server and send them to the users’ browsers when they click to view your website.
WordPress aside, there are many more traditional CMS platforms, including Drupal, Joomla, and Magento, just to name a few.
Benefits of traditional CMS
Traditional CMS are hugely successful for the following reasons.
They’re user-friendly
They’re ideal for non-technical users, allowing you to create and publish content without writing any code. This ease of use is thanks to what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG), block editors, and page builders.
Anyone can use them to create, format, and publish content.
Everything is in one dashboard
You get both content management and presentation tools in one system. There’s no need to set up the frontend and the backend in separate tools. This also means that you can create and display content quickly.
Huge theme/plugin ecosystem
WordPress, especially, has a huge plugin ecosystem that allows you to add any functionality you want to your website. This includes payment gateways, contact forms, ecommerce, etc.
It also features a vast theme ecosystem that enables you to create a unique site design.
What are the disadvantages of a traditional CMS?
Although traditional CMS are very popular, they have their own set of disadvantages, such as the following.
They tend to slow down under heavy traffic
Each time a visitor clicks to view the website, several actions are performed on the server to generate and deliver the web page to the browser. If hundreds or thousands of users click to view the website, the server will have too much to do, causing the site to slow down.
They can be bloated
Most traditional CMSs (WordPress included) come with extra features or processes you might never use. But they still need to load in the background. For example, comments or REST API endpoints you don’t use.
These extra features and processes use extra server resources. This could cause your site to slow down.
No multiplatform publishing
Traditional CMSs are mainly built for websites. As such, its content is built to be displayed on websites alone. If you want to reuse the same content for mobile apps or other channels, you’ll need to do extra work.
Exposed to common server and database vulnerabilities
Because the backend and frontend live in the same system, sites built with traditional CMSs are often more exposed to server and database vulnerabilities. This includes SQL injections, stored XSS, and so on.
If you feel limited or frustrated by these drawbacks, a headless CMS might be the right option for you. So, what does ‘headless’ do differently?
What is a headless CMS?
A headless CMS is a type of content management system that separates where you create, store, and manage your content from where it is displayed. In a headless CMS, the frontend (the part that manages how the content is displayed) is removed.
You can still log in, create, edit, and store content in a headless CMS, but displaying it to visitors is handled by a separate frontend tool.
Assuming a CMS is a human body where the head is the frontend (responsible for content display) and the body is the backend (responsible for content management). In a headless CMS, the head is removed, leaving the body only.
This is why it is referred to as a backend-only CMS. So, how is content displayed?
The frontend and the backend in a headless CMS are ‘loosely’ connected using application programming interfaces (APIs). These APIs are responsible for fetching content stored in the headless CMS and delivering it to the frontend.
How do headless CMSs work?
Here’s, in general, how a headless CMS works (this gets technical):
- You create and store content in the headless CMS (like you would in WordPress).
- The headless CMS makes your content accessible to the frontend via an API.
- Developers build a frontend separately using their preferred tools and frameworks. This is the content presentation layer.
- The frontend requests your content via the API.
- The API handles content delivery, and the presentation layer handles content display.
In this way, the headless CMS acts as a content repository accessible via APIs. So what are some advantages and drawbacks of this type of CMS?
The pros of headless CMSs
Here are a few reasons why headless CMSs have become so popular.
They result in faster frontends (the part of your website that users see)
Unlike traditional CMSs, where the frontend is built ‘on the fly’ (in real time), a headless CMS frontend is prebuilt. Developers pre-build the frontend, then fetch content from a headless CMS via an API.
This makes websites built with headless CMSs faster because there is no server-side rendering each time a user clicks to view the website. This makes them better set up to handle large traffic volumes.
You can publish content across platforms
Headless CMSs are built for omnichannel content delivery. What this means is that you can create content once and use it in mobile apps, IoT devices, wearables, etc. There is no need to duplicate or reformat content for each channel.
These channels can access content from the repository and use it without changing it.
Fewer security risks
The backend, where content is managed, is separate from the frontend, which faces the public. This reduces the attack surface for hackers to exploit.
Headless CMSs are great for future-proofing
You won’t be tied down to the framework you initially used to create the frontend. If better frameworks pop up in the future, you can always switch to them without touching your content stored in the headless CMS.
What are the cons of headless CMSs?
Headless CMSs are a great option, but they might not be ideal for you for the following reasons.
You need developers for the frontend
A headless CMS’s frontend is typically built with technologies such as React, Vue, or Angular. You’ll need a front-end developer, experienced in the JavaScript programming language and these technologies, to build and maintain where the content is displayed.
This is, unless you use the tool we’ll introduce later in this article.
It can have a complex setup
It requires integrating multiple systems, such as the CMS backend, frontend, and hosting, rather than relying on a single platform to handle everything. This means that it isn’t beginner-friendly.
Overkill for simpler websites
Suppose you want to create a simple website, let’s say, a personal blog or portfolio. Doing all that work to create a separate frontend and content repository might be overkill. Again, only if you don’t use the tool we’ll talk about in a bit.
So that’s what traditional CMSs and headless CMSs are. Now let’s compare the two to understand how they differ.
How does a traditional CMS compare to a headless CMS?
We know that in traditional CMSs, content management and display are handled by one system, and in headless CMSs, these two are decoupled. From this, you begin to understand the differences.
To clear things up, here’s how a traditional CMS compares to a headless CMS.
| Feature | Traditional CMS | Headless CMS |
| CMS architecture | It is a monolithic CMS, meaning content management and presentation are all in one system. | Decoupled CMS – Content management is separate from the presentation layer. |
| Content delivery | Is handled by the CMS via themes and templates. | It delivers content via an API to any channel, including websites, mobile apps, IoT devices, etc. |
| User experience | User-friendly for non-technical users with WYSIWYG editors and visual previews. | No visual interface for content creators, and visual previews require a developer to build a custom frontend. Hence, less user-friendly. |
| Security | It has a larger attack surface since the frontend and backend are in one system. | It has a smaller attack surface as the frontend and the backend are separate. |
| Developer flexibility | It has limited flexibility. Developers are tied to the CMS technology stack. | Flexible because developers can use any framework they want to build the frontend. This also makes it future-proof. |
| Performance and scalability | Can be slower and more difficult to scale because content management and presentation are in one system. | Often faster and more scalable because the frontend and backend scale separately. |
| Best for | Simple websites.Blogs.Projects with a single publication channel. | Publishing across several channels.Complex web apps.Organizations with a dev team. |
| Example CMS solutions | WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc. | Contentful, Strapi, Sanity, etc. |
Until recently, traditional CMSs were the only kinds of CMSs in the market. Now that people want to publish their content on other platforms in addition to websites, headless CMSs have become more popular.
So let’s look at why headless CMSs are becoming more popular.
Why are headless CMSs gaining popularity?
According to Business Research Insights, the headless CMS software market is anticipated to expand at a 20.5% CAGR by 2032. This shows that headless is taking over a sizeable portion of the CMS market.
There are several reasons behind this:
- Users’ need for speed. Site visitors are increasingly demanding faster websites. According to Google, the likelihood of a site visitor leaving your web page increases by 32% as the page load time increases from 1 to 3 seconds. Headless CMSs are a solution as they enable websites to perform faster.
- Mobile-first experiences. A majority of web traffic comes from mobile devices (64%). Headless CMSs allow you to share your content with mobile apps without recreating it.
- SEO. Headless CMSs result in faster websites, which search engines reward with a higher ranking.
Web developers are leading the shift
Web developers are leading the shift towards headless CMSs because traditional CMSs can be a nuisance for them. Especially, in situations when they need to develop solutions across different channels (for example, mobile app and website) with the same content.
With a traditional CMS, they would have to build a separate solution for each channel and update content for each channel separately. That’s double the amount of work, or worse.
With a headless CMS, they only have to create content once and then reuse it across these channels. Also, they’re free to use a framework they’re most comfortable with to create the user interface. This makes for a great developer experience.
Although headless CMSs are powerful tools, they’re not right for everyone. You might need a solution that gives you the best of both worlds.
Can WordPress be headless? (And should it be?)
Yes, WordPress can be headless. WordPress is still, arguably, the best CMS in the world. So you wouldn’t want to abandon it altogether. Ideally, you would want a solution that allows you to retain WordPress and enjoy the benefits of headless.
By making your WordPress site static with the WordPress plugin, Simply Static, you’ll get:
- Headless-level speed and performance.
- Lower hosting costs.
- Way less technical overhead.
Let’s go over what Simply Static is and how it helps you do this.
What is Simply Static, and how does it help?
Simply Static is the most popular static site generator for WordPress. It allows you to convert your dynamic WordPress site into a faster, more secure static site. You can do this in a few clicks, making it an ideal tool for beginners and non-technical users.
Once you click to generate a static version of your WordPress site, Simply Static will convert your site into static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files (plus the assets). Once you have these files, you have several options to host them, thanks to Simply Static’s integrations. Alternatively, you can have Simply Static handle everything for you, including hosting, with Simply Static Studio.
Simply Static separates your WordPress backend from the static site frontend, securing you from cyberattacks that target the backend.
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How Simply Static helps to get the best of WordPress and headless
When Simply Static converts your WordPress site to a static site, it decouples it from the WordPress backend. The Simply Static plugin handles the frontend and content delivery.
This makes your WordPress backend a headless CMS that only handles content creation, editing, and storage. The newly generated static WordPress site will be deployed independently of your WordPress hosting.
When you create or update content on the WordPress backend, Simply Static will:
- Fetch it using the WordPress REST API.
- Convert it to a static version.
- Deliver it to the frontend.
In addition to this, Simply Static comes with features that improve your site’s performance. This includes minifying code files and image optimization.
You’ll get a secure, headless-level performing website without handling the complexities of working with a headless CMS.
Who should consider using Simply Static?
Simply Static is a simpler headless option for WordPress users. It’s ideal for the following people:
- Bloggers who want blazing-fast pages. Simply Static will convert your WordPress site into prebuilt, lightweight static pages that can be served from a CDN. There’s no need to build web pages on the fly, which could slow their site down.
- Agencies building low-maintenance client sites. Simply Static enables these agencies to deliver WordPress-powered designs without needing to constantly update them, address security risks, and deal with performance headaches.
- Freelancers who are tired of patching plugins. With Simply Static, there’s no public-facing WordPress (and its plugins) to attack, which is a huge relief.
- Developers who want flexibility without going full Jamstack. Jamstack is the go-to architecture for building solutions with a headless CMS. However, implementing it can be complex and time-consuming. Headless WordPress with Simply Static offers developers an alternative.
- Marketers looking to improve SEO. Simply Static delivers websites with fast load times, which are rewarded with higher SEO rankings.
FAQs about headless cms vs traditional cms
What is the difference between a headless CMS and a traditional CMS?
In a traditional CMS, content management and display are all in one system. In other words, the backend and frontend are handled by the CMS. A headless CMS, on the other hand, only handles content creation and storage. Displaying the content is handled by a separate custom frontend.
Can WordPress be used as a headless CMS?
Yes. You can create your WordPress site and deliver this content to a custom frontend using WordPress’s built-in REST API. However, this process can be complex. Simply Static offers an easier way to use WordPress as a headless CMS by making your site static.
Is WordPress a traditional CMS?
By default, yes. It tightly integrates content management and display in a single system.
Why would you choose a headless CMS over a traditional CMS?
If you want to deliver the same content to multiple platforms, let’s say, websites, mobile apps, and IoT devices, without duplicating it, a headless CMS is ideal. Also, you should choose it if you want a high-performing, more secure website.
Lastly, if you’re a developer and you want the flexibility to use your preferred tool for creating the frontend, this is the CMS for you.
Can I switch from a traditional CMS to a headless CMS?
Yes, but you’ll need to rebuild your site’s frontend and rework how content is delivered. If WordPress is your traditional CMS, you don’t have to go through this hassle, thanks to Simply Static.
Headless CMS vs traditional CMS: What’s the best choice?
Traditional CMSs are easier to use but can be slower and less secure. On the other hand, headless CMSs are faster and more flexible, but more complex to set up and manage. Choosing between these two depends on which advantages you’re looking for and the tradeoffs you’re willing to make.
With Simply Static, you don’t have to make tradeoffs, as you can get the best of both worlds. It allows you to keep WordPress as your CMS and enjoy the benefits of going headless without the complexities of using an out-of-the-box headless CMS.
Try Simply Static today, retain WordPress as your CMS, and enjoy the speed and security of headless without the complex setup.
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