Headless CMS

Sara Heegaard March 3, 20221 minute read

Sara is a copywriter focused on lifting up Recharge's merchants, partners, and their customers. Before Recharge, her past lives included writing and editing at four different subscription... Full bio

What is a headless CMS?

A headless CMS is a type of backend-only content management system. Unlike a traditional CMS architecture, a headless CMS’s content repository, or “body,” is separated from any presentation layer/delivery layer, or “head.” This is similar to a headless site architecture, where a brand’s frontend system is decoupled from its backend system. To display content in a headless content management system, content APIs deliver the content, where it can be displayed across digital channels and devices.

Benefits of headless content management systems 

Managing content without the frontend display layer, or frontend, facilitates an omnichannel approach to content delivery. Content can easily be displayed across any platform or device, including websites, mobile devices, mobile apps, voice assistants, and more without impacting the user experience. This approach to content management also improves the developer experience, facilitating easier third-party integrations and certain updates, like adjusting content for new devices.