The decoupled content management system is making a big buzz in the web development industry because of its impact in the CMS world. With the ability to create dynamic user experiences, content apps, and highly custom layouts, this approach gives developers great flexibility to innovate while giving businesses the power to further customize their sites in the future without re-implementing the entire CMS. It is becoming a highly favored option amongst web developers.
What Exactly Does Decoupled CMS Mean?
A decoupled or “headless” architecture allows you to continue using the same CMS yet in a different way. Unlike traditional fixed CMS structures like Drupal or WordPress, a headless CMS allows backend content to be delivered through an API. Therefore, the frontend is stripped (the presentation/template of the website), and the backend (content management, editorial, and administrative tools) remains the same.
So a decoupled CMS has no page templates and no themes. Instead, you would build your custom website separately while the CMS pours content onto its pages, serving it from an API. Web developers are decoupling to allow freedom and flexibility for using frameworks like AngularJS or Backbone.js without getting rid of the CMS backend.
Without this preference to decouple, in order to make your website editable, you have to accept the web framework imposed by the system, the templating engine, and the editing tools. Web developers are extremely limited by the frontend restrictions of a legacy CMS.
The primary uses for the decoupled approach include websites and web apps built with MVC-style JavaScript frameworks, mobile apps, and static site generator driven websites.
4 Key Reasons To Decouple Your CMS
Going headless with your CMS offers several advantages to your website and overall business objectives, hence the rise in the use of decoupled CMSs. Here are four main reasons why your brand should decouple your CMS installation for an optimal website presence:
- Because a decoupled CMS produces content through an API, it can deliver content anywhere, on any device. This is excellent news for mobile app developers. You see, a decoupled CMS enables delivering the same content to an iOS app and Android app from one backend—the same backend that would deliver content to the website or any other medium.
By centralizing content management and distributing the content in a universal format, your entire system can be managed from a single interface.
Additionally, the content is platform agnostic—it can be used on any website in whatever presentation layer you design and code. Not only can you send the data to a website and multiple apps, but also to 2 different websites that look and function completely different.
- It saves you time when the moment arrives for updating the site in the future. You can redesign your site without re-implementing the CMS.
- It offers greater security. Decoupled CMS’s can be hidden since they are separated from the display layers, better protecting you from common hacks and viruses that occur most often with the Internets most popular CMS!
- A headless CMS builds true interactive experiences for clients by using your website to power fully functional in-browser applications.
Why Is This The Optimal Choice For Future Goals?
Decoupled website development has the ability to unleash the creative power of frontend developers to create high valuable, faster, and more responsive user experiences. Decoupling your CMS means new opportunities for collaboration, possibilities to scale, more freedom in implementation and the chance to embrace the rewards of multi-channel content distribution. It is the direction businesses and site owners are taking to deliver content-rich digital interactions; another strategic move towards adding immense value to their customers.