Headless may be a term you have heard in recent years. WordPress being the most popular CMS in the world powers many of our websites. However traditional CMS software can be restricting in what can be done. Plugins often add a lot of unwanted code. You’re limited by what the theming system offers and what the plugins can do.
Different from a traditional CMS, a headless CMS separates the presentation logic from itself. The CMS acts solely as a dashboard for managing content, served through the REST API. This provides advantages for developers and content writers alike. Content writers can stick to the familiar WordPress interface. Developers can use its API to serve content on any device they want.
Javascript the leading choice for many developers is becoming more popular than ever. It is only natural when you consider the advancements in technology, device speed, and general user desire for more of an all-around, app-like experience. Libraries like Vue.js and React, among others, are leading the next charge. Next.js is a minimalistic framework for server-rendered React app.
The Next.js website pulls all content from a headless WordPress instance. The flexibility of WordPress lets it be both monolithic and headless. In a headless architecture, WordPress uses the built-in REST API that anyone can use to fetch content from. Next.js provides a clean, minimalistic API to get started quickly. By default, it provides the next command line, which runs a pre-configured web server. Another option is to set up a custom server with your own request handlers and routing schemes if you would want. Next.js exposes server-side APIs which allow for that.
The Headless CMS is a new term in web development, but its applications are limitless. In the API-driven world of modern web, it takes content management to a new era. With a headless CMS, you can publish your content and use its API to fetch content on any platform you wish. Whether it’s your static website or mobile app. Despite the age, WordPress still remains a very flexible CMS. Headless CMS with WordPress is worth trying out.
If you are thinking to use headless WP on your next project and to combine with a framework consider talking to an expert. Devradius has integrated frameworks such as React, Angular and Vue with headless WordPress on many projects. From experience the benefits have outweighed any of the risks.