What is Strapi? Definition and examples of use

Headless CMS – has the term been popping up everywhere? When you compare content management systems today, you'll increasingly find headless platforms listed alongside WordPress: Contentful, Sanity, Storyblok, and Strapi. What exactly are they? How do they work? What would you use Strapi for? And why is it replacing WordPress for a growing number of companies?

What will you find in this article?

• What a headless CMS is
• What Strapi is and its most interesting features
• What's new in Strapi 5
• Who Strapi supports and how
• Comparison: Strapi vs WordPress vs Contentful
• How much Strapi costs
• Real-world use cases of this CMS
• Drawbacks and limitations worth knowing
• Whether Strapi is right for you
• FAQ: the most common questions about Strapi

Headless CMS… what does it mean?

Headless CMS is a content management system in which the backend (databases) and frontend (graphical presentation of data) function separately. Here, data is transferred to various devices or publishing channels via APIs. That's why it's called headless. If the backend is the body and the frontend is the head… in the case of a headless CMS, developers can focus only on the body. In our case, Strapi. This is because separate software provides the head.

[API stands for Application Programming Interface, in simple terms, the interface applications use to communicate. If any two tools have an API, they can talk to each other (e.g. an online store with a payment provider like Stripe or PayPal, and then with the bank of your choice). An API helps securely transfer data between different systems.]

This means that structured information such as text, video, images, or other multimedia can be displayed on any device. From a classic blog on a website to data in a smartphone app to a smart fridge interface. In an aesthetically pleasing way, without the need for separate content formatting for each device.

We wrote about this type of CMS more widely in this article "Headless CMS vs traditional CMS” and "Headless in e-commerce. What do you need to know?”.

Strapi is one such open-source headless CMS.

What is Strapi? Meet the #1 open-source headless CMS

Strapi is a CMS that makes it easy to create applications and manage content of all kinds. With JavaScript and TypeScript, you can build your own APIs quickly, even without backend expertise. The tool can be set up quickly, and you can create the first content types in it right away. Shortly after that, create your API and start delivering content to the channel of your choice.

Strapi is open-source software (meaning free in its self-hosted Community edition) with a well-developed community. It's the most popular open-source headless CMS in the world today. Its GitHub repository has tens of thousands of stars, and an active community runs on Discord and the official forum. Therefore, by using it, you also learn from the experience of other users.

Strapi provides a great deal of customization (e.g. of the admin panel), so you can adapt it to any project. It also offers many plugins. You can find them in a dedicated place called the Strapi Market.

Some of the most interesting ones are:

• SEO — the official plugin that helps you analyze and optimize metadata, suggests best practices, and detects critical errors;
• Internationalization (i18n) — in Strapi 5, multilingual content support is built natively into the core, with translations managed directly in the Content Manager;
• Live Preview — see your content on the target frontend before publishing, without leaving the admin panel.

And that's not all! Most importantly, it allows developers to use whatever tools or technologies they specialize in. The number of possibilities and great flexibility is why we confidently call this headless CMS's approach developer-first.

What's new in Strapi 5?

Since this article was first published, Strapi has gone through the biggest change in its history – the release of version 5. The key improvements:

✅ Document Service API — a rebuilt architecture in which every entry is a "document" combining its locale variants, draft/published states, and version history in one consistent API.

✅ Draft & Publish and content history — work on a draft while the published version stays live, and roll back to an earlier version of an entry when needed.

✅ TypeScript-first — full TypeScript support with auto-generated types for your content, which speeds up development and reduces errors.

✅ Cleaner API responses — a simplified REST/GraphQL response format that's easier for frontends to consume.

✅ Strapi Cloud — the official managed hosting with a built-in database, media library, and CDN, letting you deploy a project without your own DevOps.

Still running Strapi v4? Plan your migration. It involves content-type schema changes, a plugin compatibility audit, and a different API response format. We're happy to help you through it.

Example of content management with Strapi

Strapi is a headless CMS where you can create a flexible data structure in as little as 2 minutes. You define models and relationships between content yourself, which will then allow you to display even advanced layouts.

Once the content architecture is in place, you can also create, edit, and manage content in Strapi. Then you build applications or services using any framework of your choice (e.g. Next.js, React, Vue, Astro, or Node.js). Further, using either the REST API or GraphQL, you send a request for your content to Strapi and deliver it to traditional servers or cloud platforms (such as AWS or Azure, or simply Strapi Cloud).

Let's use a simplified example.

When you create a website using Strapi, you connect any database to it (such as PostgreSQL, SQLite, MySQL, or MariaDB — the databases officially supported in Strapi 5) and then configure content types. The API creates itself after you fill in the content, based on the elements you add in Strapi. Later, you pass the content to any tool that will display it.

Notably, although as we mentioned Strapi is developer-first, it does not forget about other user groups of content management systems, such as content editors, product managers, or leaders.

Let's see what features its creators have provided for each of these groups.

Whom and how Strapi supports?

1. Developers: Strapi speeds up work significantly and allows freedom of choice when it comes to framework or technology. In addition, it provides the backing of one of the largest open-source communities in the CMS world (GitHub, Discord, forum), and in Strapi 5 – full TypeScript typing.

2. Content managers: it frees you from having to ask developers for changes to your app or website every time. All you need to do is plan the content elements you may need in advance. It reduces the time it takes to create new subpages (content managers can do it themselves once Strapi is set up). At the same time, it helps you break free from the template limitations of traditional What You See Is What You Get CMSs (like WordPress). Strapi 5 adds Draft & Publish, content version history, and Live Preview on top of that.

3. Product managers: it helps you easily build a flexible content structure, as well as a content workflow (you can create your own workflow in Strapi). This makes communication with product users more efficient.

4. Business: the most important thing is the project acceleration Strapi delivers (we're talking about an acceleration of up to 3 times). Faster site creation means, of course, more time for other important business activities. This headless CMS also helps increase data security by separating the frontend and backend layers. For the same reason, it's additionally a future-proof tool. Thanks to the API, it lets you prepare even for media that don't yet exist.

Strapi vs WordPress vs Contentful: a quick comparison

How much does Strapi cost?

Strapi follows an open-source + managed hosting model:

⏩ Strapi Community (self-hosted): free. Full CMS functionality at no license cost; you only pay for your own infrastructure (a VPS and database, typically from a few to a few dozen dollars per month) plus developer time for implementation and maintenance.

⏩ Strapi Cloud: the official managed hosting with a built-in database, media library, and CDN. Paid plans start at several dozen dollars per project per month and scale with API request, bandwidth, and storage limits; large organizations can opt for an Enterprise plan with custom pricing, SSO, and an SLA.

The real cost of a Strapi implementation is therefore primarily your development team's work. The license itself costs nothing. You'll always find the current Cloud plan prices on the Strapi pricing page.

Strapi in practice: use cases

You already know what Strapi is, but nothing helps you understand the essence of things like specifics. It's time for you to see for yourself examples of how to use this content management system.

Using this headless CMS you can:

• build an app for listening to podcasts, tracking habits, or completed tasks. Actually: an app for anything,
• create a survey tool,
• program a chat room that runs in real-time,
• automate email sending,
• create website for your e-commerce business,
• build the content layer (blog, guides, category pages) alongside an existing e-commerce platform (e.g. Shopware or Magento) and serve it through a shared frontend.

We can safely say that with this CMS, the only limit is your imagination.

Drawbacks and limitations of Strapi. What to keep in mind

To keep the picture honest: Strapi isn't the right fit for everyone. Before you decide, consider that:

• getting started requires a developer — unlike WordPress, you can't launch a site "out of the box"; configuring the backend and building the frontend is programming work;
• there is no ready-made frontend or themes — the presentation layer is always built separately;
• self-hosting means responsibility — updates, backups, and server security are on you (unless you choose Strapi Cloud or a technology partner);
• major version migrations need a plan — e.g. moving from v4 to v5 involves content schema changes and a plugin audit.

If these points sound like obstacles, that's exactly where an experienced implementation partner helps.

Is Strapi for you?

All this sounds great, you see a lot of advantages, but after all, you need to answer one most important question: is this a solution for your business? So let's do a little summary and think about it.

You should consider this CMS if:

a) You care about time. First and foremost, Strapi CMS significantly reduces the time it takes to launch a project (known as time-to-deploy). Why? Because the backend is no longer a problem. You don't have to create it yourself. You choose all the components for content creation from the panel. It allows you to deliver content to any medium thanks to the API. This makes your content ready for publication even on devices that don't yet exist.

b) You want to expand your existing sales system. If your current solutions don't allow you to manage your content efficiently, you can integrate Strapi into your existing technology.

c) You are betting on intensive development. Do you need a system that allows you to scale quickly? Are you moving forward strongly? Strapi is the perfect solution for you, because it's a technology that grows with your business.

d) You operate in foreign markets. If you have a presence in multiple markets, the functionality of this system is something for you. Strapi allows you to efficiently manage a large amount of content in different languages. In Strapi 5, internationalization is built in natively, with translations managed in a single panel.

If you feel that Strapi can help you grow your business... then you're probably right! The question then arises, what's next? Rest assured. We are here to help you. Contact us and we'll answer all your questions and plan the next steps together. If you decide along the way that it's not for you, after all, nothing will happen. This is just one of the possibilities!

FAQ: the most common questions about Strapi

Is Strapi free?

Yes. The self-hosted Community edition is fully free and open-source. You only pay for your own hosting and developer time. The optional managed hosting (Strapi Cloud) and Enterprise plans are paid.

How is Strapi different from WordPress?

WordPress is a monolith: the backend and frontend run together, and themes define how the site looks. Strapi is headless – it manages content only and exposes it through APIs, while you build the frontend (website, app) separately in any technology. This gives you more flexibility, performance, and security, but requires a developer to get started.

What technology is Strapi written in?

Strapi is 100% JavaScript/TypeScript and runs on Node.js. It supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite databases.

Is Strapi suitable for e-commerce?

Yes. Most often as the content layer (blog, guides, landing pages, product storytelling) running alongside an e-commerce platform such as Shopware or Magento, connected via API in a shared frontend.

Do you need to know how to code to use Strapi?

Implementation and configuration require a developer. Day-to-day content work, however (creating posts, subpages, and translations) happens in an intuitive admin panel and requires no technical knowledge.

What is the current version of Strapi?

The current major version is Strapi 5, featuring the rebuilt Document Service API, native TypeScript support, Draft & Publish, and content version history.