Content management and delivery with commercetools Frontend and a headless CMS

Frontend and headless CMSs

A headless CMS is a system designed to store and manage content data, with content delivery executed via APIs. This architecture decouples the backend from the frontend, providing independence from the presentation layer and allowing flexible content distribution across multiple channels.

commercetools Frontend is a frontend-as-a-service (FEaaS) tool. It is a cloud-based solution that lets you develop and deploy frontend applications without needing to manage the infrastructure. It comes with the Frontend Studio, a dedicated no-code tool that business users and developers can use to manage commerce websites and enhance the website experience.

Although commercetools Frontend—the Studio in particular—supports some content management features, it is not a headless CMS.
Depending on your needs, using commercetools Frontend and a headless CMS together can help you create functional and optimized websites that offer engaging and differentiated experiences across all digital touch points.

Frontend Studio's content management features

Frontend Studio provides you with the following features to manage content for your commerce website:

• Drag-and-drop interface to build pages.
• Media library to upload and manage media assets.
• Live previews to check pages in real time and on different devices.
• Component groups and page templates to create cohesive page layouts.
• User roles and workflows to collaborate seamlessly on content management.

When to use Frontend with a headless CMS

Using a headless CMS in conjunction with commercetools Frontend is advisable when you need to manage content that:

• Includes multiple types of content elements that need to be rendered together. For example, a headline, an author paragraph, a summary section, multiple images, and videos on the same page.
• Gets updated frequently.
• Needs to be distributed across many channels.
• Requires complex workflows for review or translation.

On the other hand, if you are dealing with more static content, such as websites with a few text pages that rarely change, a headless CMS might be superfluous. In such scenarios, utilizing Frontend Studio's features can achieve the desired customer experience.

How Frontend and a headless CMS work together

When commercetools Frontend and a headless CMS are integrated, the CMS functions as the backend system and handles content creation, management, and optimization, while commercetools Frontend is responsible for page building and frontend optimization for the end-user experience.

Additionally, commercetools Frontend manages the orchestration and compilation of dynamic and static data between the CMS and other data sources (for example, the commerce backend, search systems, personalization engines) and it also handles hosting and frontend delivery.

Benefits of using Frontend with a headless CMS

• Flexibility: decoupling frontend and backend allows for faster iterations and customization.
• Scalability: a headless CMS is ideal for managing large-scale content across multiple markets and channels. commercetools Frontend complements this scalability with robust developer tools and workflows.
• Multi-channel content delivery: a headless CMS excels in multi-channel content delivery by serving as a central content source. commercetools Frontend enhances this process with its APIs, making content orchestration and distribution seamless and consistent across different third-party systems and touchpoints.

Challenges to consider when using Frontend with a headless CMS

• Complexity: coordination between frontend and content management teams is crucial. Furthermore, setting up a headless CMS and integrating it with commercetools Frontend requires a learning curve for developers, especially those familiar with traditional CMS architectures.
• Maintenance: separate systems require different updates and maintenance. You also should ensure that the changes you make in one system are compatible with the other system's functionality. Therefore, maintenance requires careful planning.

Conclusion

A headless CMS is perfect for dynamic content management, while commercetools Frontend—the Studio in particular—is great to manage static content. By using them together, you can leverage their functionality to build scalable and engaging digital experiences.

Nevertheless, in this headless scenario, you are not limited by decisions that permanently define your tooling and you can always change it depending on your needs. For example, if you are not currently using a headless CMS, you can start using only commercetools Frontend and add the CMS into your stack at a later stage.

Learn more

Learn about key decisions and actions for integrating commercetools Frontend with a CMS.

Learn how to integrate commercetools Frontend with the following CMSs:

• Amplience
• Bloomreach
• Contentful
• Contentstack