Category
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Headless CMS

API-first headless CMS platforms delivering structured content via REST and GraphQL to any frontend — web, mobile, AR, and IoT — with visual editors for non-technical teams.

2APIs
Most Popular In
Content Delivery APIGraphQL CMSMedia Management
Auth Breakdown
API Key50%
OAuth50%
Notable Developers
ContentfulSanityStrapiDirectusPrismic
Updated Jun 12, 2026
Curated by FreeAPIHub editors
Topics:Content Delivery APIGraphQL CMSMedia ManagementMulti-Channel PublishingLocalisationReal-Time Collaboration
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Payload CMS API logo

Payload CMS API

🔥 Hot
Headless CMS

Payload is a TypeScript headless CMS where you define collections in code and it generates a REST and GraphQL API plus an admin UI - open-source and self-hosted, or run on Payload Cloud.

Free tierAPI Key
View details
Webiny Headless CMS API logo

Webiny Headless CMS API

🔥 Hot
Headless CMS

Webiny is an open-source, serverless platform for building enterprise apps and content - a GraphQL headless CMS, page builder and form builder you deploy onto your own AWS account.

Free tierOAuth
View details
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Payload CMS API logo
Payload CMS APIFree tierAPI KeyGraphQLJSON—View
Webiny Headless CMS API logo
Webiny Headless CMS APIFree tierOAuthGraphQLJSON—View

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About this category

Headless CMS — developer guide

What Are Headless CMS APIs?

A headless CMS separates content management from content presentation. Instead of a traditional CMS where the backend and frontend are tightly coupled (like a WordPress theme), a headless CMS stores content as structured data and delivers it through REST or GraphQL APIs to any frontend — a Next.js website, a React Native mobile app, a digital signage screen, or a voice assistant. This means one content team can manage a single source of truth that powers every surface, with no duplication, using a purpose-built visual editor they actually enjoy using.

What Teams Build With Headless CMS

  • JAMstack marketing websites with sub-second load times served from a global CDN
  • Mobile app content management where editorial teams update copy without app store deployments
  • Multi-language, multi-region publishing workflows with structured localisation
  • E-commerce product content pipelines shared between website, app, and print channels
  • Developer portals and documentation sites with version-controlled structured content
  • Digital signage and kiosk content delivery to hundreds of screens from a single CMS

Choosing a Headless CMS

Contentful is the enterprise standard — mature, reliable, with excellent GraphQL support, roles, and audit logs. Sanity is the developer favourite for its flexible document model, real-time collaboration, and GROQ query language. Strapi is the open-source self-hosted option — ideal for teams wanting full control over data and no per-seat pricing. Directus wraps any existing SQL database with a REST/GraphQL API, making it the best upgrade path from a legacy database-backed system. Prismic shines for marketing teams with its Slice Machine component-level editing workflow.