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Newer CMS options with significant advantages over traditional CMS and even contemporary headless CMS can profoundly impact how businesses manage and deliver content.
Is your head spinning with all the different CMS that seem to be on offer?
Monolithic, decoupled, headless, headless-plus, and hybrid CMS are more than just terms - they represent fundamental differences in how they work and can be used, and of the burden they present to you in years to come.
Let's help you cut through the noise and separate the useful from the useless, and the good-for-today from the bad-for-tomorrow.
It's important to note that decoupled CMS and hybrid CMS (also referred to as headless+ CMS) are interchangeable terms!
A headless CMS is a Content Management System that distinctly separates the stored content databases of words, images, videos, data and everything else (the "body"), from wherever it will be viewed - the presentation layer of a website or app or newsletter etc (the "head").
This is in contrast to the older-style "monolithic" CMS which coincided with the explosive growth in popularity of self-managed websites. With these, content and site are tightly interwoven and in fact one often logs into the website to access the CMS: the two are inextricably linked.
Back when all a CMS could conceivably be used for was controlling a small website, this was enough - being easy to use and making sites quite intuitive to control was a real plus, but they came with many downsides that grew over:
As we reached the era where any publisher needs the ability to feed multiple channels and destinations at once, soon enough more CMS started to be headless by default, which negated most of the previous drawbacks and allowed for independent management of content and channel by using APIs to deliver this content to various front-end frameworks or devices.
What you should want in a headless CMS:
Decoupled CMS, also known as hybrid CMS or headless+ CMS, build on the headless concept by adding features and capabilities which meet the need for more out-of-the-box solutions and delivery options. You get the flexibility of headless architecture with the user-friendly and built-in features of traditional CMS.
Key things to look for in a Decoupled/Hybrid CMS:
A prime example of a decoupled CMS is Glide, which can operate in either headless or hybrid modes based on needs.
This adaptability gives Glide extraordinary flexibility to power highly custom front-ends and integrated templating options. Glide’s ability to operate in either mode ensures publishers and media companies can hone their content strategies to suit changing audience needs while sticking to publishing best-practices honed over 30 years. Our view is that a cool CMS which lets you make a cool website, but which makes all its users work twice as long to get a piece of content completed, is giving with one hand while slapping you with the other.
Moreover, Glide leads the field with a suite of AI-powered features using Glide AI Assistant - GAIA. GAIA already includes AI-driven content summaries, drafting aids, translations into 75 languages, text-to-voice, and pre-publishing quality checks, all already in use by customers - none of whom needed bespoked tools or were required to set anything up themselves.
These advanced tools not only streamline the content creation process but also enhance the quality and accessibility of the content, making it easier for businesses to engage with a global audience. Whether delivering content through APIs for maximum flexibility or using built-in tools for streamlined content creation and preview, Glide provides a versatile solution that meets incredibly diverse business requirements.
Helping close the gap even more is our front-end go-fast pack, Glide Deliver, an optional and free framework which springboards development of sites. Some customers use it to fully power sites and experiences, other use elements to handle key tasks quicker. It offers out-of-the-box solutions to common challenges e.g. route discovery, caching, linking of pages/templates, page geometry, taxonomy resolution, and other such “scaffolding” tasks.
Add to that Glide NPM and Next.js packages, and a Next.js bootstrap app for modern front-end-as-a-service platforms such as Vercel, AWS Amplify, and Edgio, and Glide is determined to address every need of modern content businesses so they can get on with doing what their audiences love, and not get bogged down in yesterday's problems.
Flexibility vs Control
Headless CMS offer flexibility for developers to create custom front-end experiences. By decoupling content from the presentation layer, devs can choose the best tools and frameworks for their specific needs. However, this can come at the cost of control over the content’s final presentation, requiring more development resources to achieve the desired look and feel and leaving CMS users out in the cold with a system disengaged from what audiences see. When it comes to making site updates and decisions, this can prove a massive impediment to efficient operation and put the brakes on output.
Decoupled/hybrid CMS bridge this gap by offering both API-driven delivery and traditional templating options, as Glide does. This hybrid approach provides businesses with more control over content presentation without sacrificing the flexibility of a headless architecture. Content creators can use built-in tools to manage and preview content, reducing dependency on developers for routine updates.
A practical outcome of this in Glide is the classic Breaking News scenario, in which editors can easily build new sections or pages without needing a developer on hand or to do a release.
User experience for content creators
One of the main challenges with headless CMS is their complexity for non-technical users. Since content delivery is API-driven, content creators might lack the tools to preview and edit content in real-time, leading to a disjointed user experience.
In another example, a generic headless CMS may structure their image management tools in such a way that is appealing to a developer building a website, but which place enormous extra burden on users to manage image assets.
It is these kind of drawbacks which mean development demands from content teams using pure headless CMS can become dominated by requests to improve the CMS user experience rather than to improve the end product.
Decoupled CMS can address these sort of issues by leaning into the sector's needs and building tools within the platform that help the users and the business at large.
In Glide, this means editor-friendly features such as multi-device preview, notes mode, a variety of publishing options, multi-channel control and so forth, allowing creators to see exactly how things will appear across different platforms and making the content creation process more intuitive and efficient. In the image management example, as an opinionated CMS Glide understands it needs to reduce work for developers and users.
Workflow & Collaboration
Headless CMS often lack comprehensive workflow and collaboration tools, as their primary focus is on content delivery through APIs. This can be challenging for larger or more sophisticated teams that need to manage complex content workflows and approvals, and the expectation is that the business will dedicate resource to formulate those tools or processes and build them into the base CMS.
Decoupled CMS built for publishing and media, as Glide is, can offer these capabilities by offering robust workflow and collaboration tools informed by the sector. Features such as version control, status-driven workflows, and distributed editing ensure that teams can work together seamlessly, maintaining high standards of content quality and consistency.
Scalability & Performance
Both headless and decoupled CMS are designed to handle large-scale content and high traffic volumes, making them suitable for enterprise applications. However, there is a choice to made between the two which can impact scalability and performance based on specific use cases.
Headless CMS are ideal for businesses who place the need for absolute and outright flexibility at the heart of their approach, and who have and understand the scale of development resources needed to build and maintain custom solutions.
In contrast, decoupled CMS provide a balanced approach, offering scalability and performance benefits while reducing development overhead through integrated tools and features.
Choosing between headless CMS and decoupled/hybrid CMS depends on a business's specific needs and resources.
Headless CMS offer unparalleled flexibility and scalability, making them an excellent choice for orgs with strong product and development capabilities and a need for custom front-end solutions.
Decoupled CMS provide more user-friendly and tailored experience for content creators out of the box, with integrated tools for previewing, editing, and collaboration, making it a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking to balance flexibility with ease of use.
Ultimately, both headless and decoupled CMS represent the future of content management, enabling businesses to deliver dynamic "be everywhere" experiences that meet the demands of today's digital landscape.
With platforms like Glide offering the ability to operate in either mode and boasting advanced AI features, businesses can achieve the best of both worlds, ensuring efficient, innovative content management and delivery.
No matter where you are on your CMS journey, we're here to help. Want more info or to see Glide Publishing Platform in action? We got you.
Book a demo
