How to chose your Headless CMS
- Sylvain Paillard
Headless CMS: Real-time GraphQL within Boxalino Cloud
Integrating Boxalino Narrative API can be done with any type of content from any source. But integrating content you export to Boxalino API has the disadvantage to not offer a live preview to the marketers and content creators using the Headless CMS.
In order to avoid such a problem, make sure to chose a Headless CMS with an API supporting GraphQL. Boxalino will cache the response (typically for 1 hour) but will support live preview to enable efficient work on stage. Indeed, any millisecond is important for your page speed and Boxalino can ensure that your Headless CMS is typically not accessed in real-time, saving precious network time which will count for your Google Page speed ranking!
Boxalino supports real-time GraphQL queries you can directly configure in Boxalino Admin. This way, no need for an additional data transformation layer to prepare your data in the format needed for your real-time requests, you can directly configure the mapping in the GraphQL query.
Learn more about how a Headless CMS is a key part of your future front-end architecture here: https://boxalino.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/BPKB/pages/464945166
#1 Recommended Headless CMS
Prismic
Prismic is a Content Management System, a tool for editing online content. Also known as a headless CMS, an API CMS, a content platform, a disruptive content-as-a-service digital experience...basically we've built a tool that lets you choose your technology, framework, and language and then easily manage your content.
Pros:
Mid-range pricing (around 500.- / month)
Simple to use interface
Many functionalities built-in
Efficient model editor
Good support of GraphQL
Can configure preview website easily
Webhook for pushing the content
Provides SDK
Integration M2 to Prismic and vice-versa
Content scheduling
Localization
Possibility to migrate existing content
Media management with Imgix. Can resize image dynamically while is being requested
External catalog integration
“Slices” for creating dynamic content
Internal CDN via AWS Cloudfront
Cons:
A strong concept of the final layout in the editor (limits the creation of content pieces that are reusable in different layout settings)
No connections to GCP
No DAM integrations
Contentful
The content platform for the digital-first era. It’s the modern way to manage content: Control all content from a single hub. Publish to any channel. Integrate hundreds of tools with our industry-leading app framework.
Pros:
Mid-range pricing (500.- / month and more)
Good support of GraphQL
Can be connected to BigQuery (https://www.stitchdata.com/integrations/contentful/google-bigquery/)
Extensible UI schema with forma 36 (https://f36.contentful.com/)
Can configure preview website easily
Webhook for pushing the content
Provides SDK
Content scheduling
Localization
Possibility to migrate existing content
External catalog integration
Validation for fields
Internal CDN
Integrations:
DAM, A\B testing, Translation
Cons:
No easy to integrate with other platforms (https://www.trustradius.com/reviews/contentful-2019-05-31-10-00-39)
Not very user-friendly back-end
Can become pricey if multiple features/integrations are used
GrahCMS
GraphCMS is the Headless CMS allowing you to build digital experiences the way you envisioned them - with all your backends, frontends, and services, working together in harmony.
Pros:
Mid-range pricing (around 500.- / month)
Simple to use interface
Many functionalities built-in
Efficient model editor
Good support of GraphQL
Cons:
A bit more technical than other commercial headless CMS
No connections to GCP (some documented case here, but not clear what: https://graphcms.com/ecosystem-partners/google-cloud-platform)
No integrations with external systems
No existing solution for having Catalog information to use when creating content
Limited number of features and functionalities
No SDKs
No content scheduling
Directus
Directus is an open-source tool that wraps custom SQL databases with a dynamic API, and provides an intuitive admin app for managing its content. Self-host for free, or use our on-demand Cloud service to manage all your omni-channel digital experiences.
Pros:
It’s fully open-source, so it’s free (hosted version have a small fee) and enables any type of integration
It’s highly focused on doing the cms part well and nothing else which is a good fit for your integration with Boxalino, you don’t want to find something which claims to do many other things that you might end up not needed as redundant with other parts
it’s highly customizable as it wraps custom SQL databases with a dynamic API
Cons:
It’s a very “thin” layer on top of the database, which means that while it comes with many features of how to manage a custom CMS, it does not bring many high-level functionalities when it comes to content in a headless way (which can be a weakness if you want more than “a nice admin on top of a database”)
It’s not integrated on GCP or with BigQuery as a standard (focuses more on AWS), but that’s not a real blocker and it is possible to make it work on GCP
While there is some support of GraphQL, it’s not a very strong implemented (limited parameters: https://docs.directus.io/api/graphql.html#introduction)
Netlifycms
Open source content management for your Git workflow. Use Netlify CMS with any static site generator for a faster and more flexible web project
Pros:
Nicely integrated over Git
Cons:
Not very advanced CMS options and quite technical
Strapi
Strapi is the leading open-source headlessCMS. It’s 100% Javascript, fully customizable and developer-first.
Pros:
Free to moderate costs (0.- to 300.- / month)
Support GCP deployment (https://strapi.io/documentation/3.0.0-beta.x/deployment/google-app-engine.html)
Support GraphQL (https://strapi.io/documentation/3.0.0-beta.x/plugins/graphql.html)
Flexible content modeling
Simple creation of Content Types
Possibility to migrate existing content
Cons:
(probably) limited back-end for marketers (to be confirmed)
Internationalization features are missing (https://www.capterra.com/p/170599/Strapi/#reviews)
No CDN & DAM integrations
No localization
No Content scheduling
Most external integrations are available via community plugins
No image manipulation features
#2 Other options
Apostrophe
Apostrophe is a globally-minded technology company focused on creating incredible open source content management tools for organizations—from small businesses to the enterprise. Our products empower our customers to take ownership over their digital experiences. As a full-featured JavaScript CMS with both headless capabilities through the headless module and core in-context editing, our tools appeal to both developers and content editors, not only because of how flexible they are, but because they feel good to use. Our customers’ success in their digital experiences is a result of the impact of our products.
Pros:
very innovative approach
Cons:
It is a full Jamstack CMS with a visual editor for building pages. The headless is a module in their complete solution.
No GraphQL
No SDKs
No content scheduling
ButterCMS
ButterCMS is an API first platform, served in JSON in a mostly RESTful way. It was definitely built with developers in mind, which is what makes its integration, setup time, and delivery among the top praised aspects of the platform/service.
Pros:
Lower-Mid-range pricing (250.- / month and more)
Very API oriented
Oriented towards blogging (not only generic CMS)
Cons:
A little too much oriented to the final result (not fully headless in that sense)
Not extremely developed concepts for the model editor
Craft CMS
Craft is a flexible, user-friendly CMS for creating custom digital experiences on the web and beyond.
Pros:
Complete set of features with a clear focus on E-Commerce
Lower-Mid-range pricing (initial price around 1K then only 200.- a year)
Good content structure capacity
Support GraphQL
Support GCP : https://github.com/craftcms/google-cloud , https://plugins.craftcms.com/google-cloud
Cons:
Not particularly focused on headless
Cosmic
Cosmic is a Headless CMS that empowers you to create, edit, and manage content across limitless websites and applications, from one convenient interface.
Pros:
Low-Mid-range price (300.- / month)
Flexible content modeling (https://www.cosmicjs.com/headless-cms#content-modeling)
Support GraphQL
Cons:
probably not the best admin for marketers
Kontent
Kentico Kontent delivers all the benefits of a headless CMS while empowering your marketing team to manage the experience across your digital channels.
Pros:
Quite advanced functionalities
Cons:
On the more expensive side (1K to 2K/ month and can be more)
Doesn’t seem to support GraphQL
More as a monolith than a piece of the puzzle
Bloomreach
Great commerce experiences stem from great product discovery and data-driven optimization. brX is a modular API-first platform built to leverage your data, products and content together with our commerce-specific AI to drive both great experiences and your business outcomes.
Pros:
Quite advanced functionalities
Cons:
All in one platform trying to provide AI, search, …
Magnolia
Magnolia started small, driven by two innovators who wanted to build a flexible and powerful CMS. Over the years, we've extended this vision to make life easier for our customers and partners - to understand your DX challenges and to ensure that each deployment of the platform is truly tailored to what you want.
Pros:
Quite advanced functionalities
Cons:
Not really originally a Headless CMS, so more trying to present their CMS as headless
Coremedia
CoreMedia Content Cloud is a flexible, composable DXP built on an Agile CMS and advanced DAM. It is designed for business flexibility, openness and fast time to value. We empower companies to collaboratively create, preview, and optimize digital brand experiences – across multiple countries, languages and touchpoints.
Pros:
Quite advanced functionalities
Cons:
All in one platform trying to provide AI, search, …
Sanity
Sanity.io is the unified content platform that powers better digital experiences.
Pros:
“Cloud hosted backend”
Open-source editor build on React to self-host (Sanity Studio) with lots of features like collaboration tools, image manipulation
Localization
Provides SDK for PHP an JS
Multiple datasets to use for dev/prod like environments
API & Assets CDN
Cons:
The content structure has to be created as React components. No UI or possibility to create everything via drag&drop
No Content scheduling