Before you decide to go headless, you should be aware of the pros and cons that come with a headless CMS. One of the biggest benefits to headless is reusable, consolidated content for omnichannel output. Previously, we’ve discussed how to automate GatsbyJS and Contentful on Google Cloud and the benefits of building a serverless website with Contentful and Gatsby.
Unlike a monolithic system that only delivers content to a website, a headless framework can also deliver it to any app or device by centralizing data into one place. Another benefit to headless is that, if you decide to go with a SaaS solution, many of the repetitive tasks associated with managing your own website will no longer be your responsibility. Going headless also helps lower the learning curve for developers and marketing teams, making it easier to collaborate with one another to publish content so that every change doesn’t have to go through development.
development.
Headless Pros |
Headless Cons |
✅ Flexibility to integrate with other systems |
❌ More effort to build initially |
✅Better collaboration |
❌ No external support for your front end development |
✅Reusable content for omnichannel output |
❌ Could be more expensive depending on solution |
✅ Improve website performance |
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✅Future-proof development |
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✅Offload CMS security and management |
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Despite the many benefits to going headless, it’s important to be aware of the obstacles too. Even though the learning curve is shorter than coding, it can still be difficult for non-technical users. Another obstacle to going headless can be the expenses. IT support and security depend on the hosted platform’s team instead of your own, but they need to be paid, which might be difficult for smaller teams and startups with tight budgets. The third-party tech support might also be an obstacle if it’s difficult to reach them or they don’t offer 24/7 access to the IT department. Lastly, going headless means starting your design from scratch. While most teams have design departments to handle this, it could be a tedious obstacle for teams with little resources.