Using a CMS

Content Management Systems (CMS) add a web-based interface to your site, allowing both technical and non-technical folks the ability to easily update the web site on-the-go.

Eleventy (like most site generators) is not tightly coupled to any specific CMS and offers the flexibility to work with a wide variety of available industry and community options! Content Management Systems decoupled in this way are known as Headless.

Using a Headless CMS offers a variety of benefits that will be immediately recognizable to developers familiar with more tightly-coupled/monolithic options, where the front and back-end are co-dependent on each other.

Primarily, using Headless allows developers more control over the front-end. This alleviates pressure on front-end performance and accessibility issues common to monolithic options. It’s worth noting that traditionally tightly-coupled solutions like Drupal, Joomla, or WordPress are also starting to offer Headless options too.

Types of Headless

Digging deeper, there are two main types of Headless CMS options:

1. Source Control: checks files directly into your code repository (git is a very popular one). You may hear these referred to as Git-based CMS solutions. A few benefits of this approach:
   • Your data and content are already versioned.
   • Works as-is with your existing deployment process, including branch/test/pre-production deploy previews.
   • No data migration is needed if you decide to swap providers—it’s baked in (not fried).
2. API Based: provide an external API that can be queried in your build or serverless functions. This approach gives you access to a powerful query language that can unlock access to complex data structures.

Headless CMS Providers

Want your logo here? Contact us!

Recommended Partner

Webflow CMS

API

WordPress REST API

API

DecapCMS

Git-based

Notion

API

Contentful

API

Wix Headless

API

Storyblok

API

CloudCannon

Git-based

Strapi

API

Ghost

API

CraftCMS

API

Sanity

API

Prismic

API

Spinal

Git-based

Directus

API

Agility CMS

API

Builder.io

API

The list above is not meant to be exhaustive.

From the Community

• Headless CMS List on Jamstack.org
• YouTube: From Zero to CMS in 2 Minutes with CloudCannon and Eleventy
• How to get started with the 11ty (Eleventy) Blog Starter

×51 resources via 11tybundle.dev curated by Bob Monsour.

• Dec 9: Building a blog — Callum Skeet (2024)
• Oops, I built a headless frontend with 11ty — Adam Stoddard (2024)
• Here's how this is all put together — Cory Dransfeldt (2024)
• Ergonomic Static Site Blogging — Alex Ward (2024)
• 11ty and Ghost — Alex Ward (2024)