The world of Content Management Systems (CMS) has evolved significantly in recent years. While traditional CMS like WordPress or Joomla have long dominated the market, new solutions like Headless and Decoupled CMS are gaining importance. But what exactly do these terms mean?
At their core, Headless and Decoupled CMS differ from traditional CMS in their architecture and functionality. Traditional content management systems are often monolithic, meaning they combine both the backend (content management) and the frontend (content presentation) in a single system. This close link allows for content to be precisely set for the desired output format but also limits adaptability and flexibility in content distribution since the traditional CMS knows only one output channel: itself.
In contrast, a Headless CMS completely separates the backend from the frontend. It provides a backend database and an API (Application Programming Interface) through which content can be accessed. This separation allows developers to flexibly integrate content into various frontends such as websites, mobile apps, social media platforms, or even IoT devices without being bound to a specific template or platform. Editors can create and easily manage posts by maintaining different fields like headlines, subheadings, paragraphs, images, and teasers. The only disadvantage: the presentation of the posts towards consumers is not directly visible, as the presentation cannot be defined in the backend.
Decoupled CMS combine the advantages of both worlds and offer developers the highest degree of flexibility and convenience. Similar to Headless CMS, they retain a standard frontend that can be used for content presentation. This allows editors to view the created content at any time without restricting its further use for other output channels.