As businesses assess their content management needs, they often wonder if WordPress functions as a headless CMS. While WordPress is popular and adaptable, it isn’t inherently headless. This article explains why WordPress isn’t a headless CMS, along with recommended use cases for WordPress and Sanity (a headless CMS), and when each is not ideal.
Why WordPress is not a headless CMS
A headless CMS separates content management from content delivery, using APIs to push content across multiple platforms like websites, mobile apps, and IoT devices. WordPress, however, is a “coupled” CMS, meaning the back-end (where content is managed) and front-end (where content is displayed) are tightly integrated. Although WordPress can be used as a headless CMS with customisation, its primary design isn’t suited to the headless architecture.
Recommended use cases for WordPress
For many small-scale projects, WordPress is ideal because of its low-cost setup, user-friendly interface, and vast plugin library. Here are some of the best cases for using WordPress:
- Small websites: Perfect for personal blogs, portfolios, and smaller sites.
- Low-budget projects: With minimal setup costs and thousands of free plugins, WordPress is affordable.
- Limited content types: WordPress handles basic content types well, like posts, pages, and media.
- Startups and small businesses: New businesses benefit from WordPress’s easy-to-use features, themes, and plugins.
