Decoupled CMS explained
In this guide
In recent years, headless and decoupled CMS architectures have grown in popularity. This is due in part to organizations recognizing the value they bring. A recent report found that the enhanced content experiences enabled by headless and decoupled can increase engagement by over 200%.
There is overlap between decoupled and headless CMS solutions—indeed, headless CMS is a subset of decoupled CMS architecture—causing some confusion between the two and over how they differ from a traditional CMS. Marketing technology is constantly evolving as solutions build on each other, and the terminology and distinctions are not always clear.
Headless and decoupled each have different benefits and drawbacks, depending on organizational needs. Which one you choose affects your entire team, from editors and marketers to developers and designers. To make this decision easier, we’ve laid out the below FAQ to serve as a resource and answer common questions. We focus particularly on decoupled, which often gets less attention than headless yet presents its own compelling argument based on your digital organization's needs.
What is decoupled CMS architecture?
In a decoupled environment, the back end and front end of a website are split (decoupled) into two unique systems. One side handles content creation and storage, while the other is responsible for taking that input and presenting it to the user through a chosen interface. That means you have a back end that doesn’t have to rely on what the front end is doing. A key component of a decoupled approach is that both systems are tightly integrated by an API that connects the content management back end with the presentation layer, giving you additional controls and benefits. These might include template changes and a full preview of your presentation in the editing experience.
What are the advantages of decoupled CMS architecture?
A decoupled content management system provides businesses with freedom by offering a back end that doesn't have to depend on the front end. Decoupled CMS architecture offers greater flexibility than traditional or coupled CMS in terms of content delivery because there is a clear separation between the content and presentation layers. Developers can make changes to the back end without directly affecting the front end.
What are the disadvantages of decoupled CMS architecture?
While the back end and front end are separated in decoupled CMS architecture, the front end is usually confined to a specific content delivery programming language, such as React. Decoupled CMS architecture also has more architectural layers to work with than traditional or coupled content systems. Deploying a decoupled CMS requires extra development work, particularly for front-end development.
When should you use a decoupled CMS?
A decoupled CMS is usually simpler to update and maintain than a coupled CMS and can support better code reuse and flexibility. If the initial development complexity is not considered a problem, migrating from a traditional CMS to a decoupled CMS can be considered as a way to achieve faster and more flexible content delivery. However, headless or hybrid CMS options may offer similar advantages, and all three options should be carefully evaluated.
What are some examples of decoupled CMS architecture?
Brightspot supports dozens of websites utilizing a decoupled CMS architecture approach. Here are several examples to help showcase what is possible using a decoupled CMS:
Diagram of decoupled CMS architecture design
Decoupled CMS architecture FAQs
What is a decoupled CMS?
The definition of decoupled is where two or more systems are able to transact without being connected. Decoupled CMS architecture separates—or decouples—the back end and front end of a website into two different systems. One is for content creation and storage, and one is for consuming data and presenting it to the user through an interface. Once content is created and edited in the back end, web services and APIs deliver raw content with any look to any device or channel.
Many in the industry consider decoupled to be the best of both worlds. You have templates to work with like you do with a traditional CMS platform, yet you have the flexibility of being able to develop your back-end and front-end systems in parallel. A decoupled CMS is typically easier to update and maintain, including offering improved code reuse and flexibility.
What’s the difference between a decoupled CMS and traditional CMS?
It is important to note that a decoupled CMS has more architectural layers to work with than a traditional one. Like headless, it requires extra development work, especially when it comes to building the front end. However, with the right development team and structure in place from the outset, organizations can set themselves up for long term flexibility and success with a highly customized and robust system.
What’s the difference between a decoupled CMS and headless CMS?
Thus, headless offers ultimate flexibility but less support, which can impact efficiency without the right team and systems in place. Generally, companies who benefit from a decoupled CMS want the flexibility of a separate front end and back end, but know that they need a degree of presentation support.
What’s the difference between a decoupled CMS and hybrid CMS?
But there are instances where a hybrid approach is preferred. For example, a business wants to take a decoupled approach for its online website experience but use headless to power its native iOS and Android apps. A hybrid-headless CMS like Brightspot affords exactly this flexibility, whereby content can be delivered to one experience through a decoupled CMS architecture, while engineers can use their frameworks of choice when developing and maintaining a completely separate front-end codebase for an implementation that draws from that same content repository via headless APIs.
What are the pros and cons of a decoupled CMS?
Decoupled CMS benefits include faster and more flexible content delivery than what a traditional CMS can provide. This system is also able to scale and evolve, supporting your organization through future changes. Additionally, a decoupled CMS offers easier access to third-party integrations.
Downsides to a decoupled CMS include its higher initial complexity in regards to development needs. Small companies with limited tech support who are not ready for an omnichannel marketing approach might not yet need a decoupled CMS. On the flip side, a large organization with a strong omnichannel strategy and deep bench of development support might be able to go all-in with a headless solution.
What is Brightspot? A headless CMS? Decoupled CMS?
Unlike other API-only headless CMS solutions, Brightspot's API-first architecture offers all the omnichannel benefits of an API-only CMS—the API is always available to take data from the back end and present it to applications or other channels that the end users will see—but takes this a step further by giving you the tools, templates and other rendering options that your organization will need to build out a site. This is made possible with our API-first CMS because, despite functioning independently from one another, the back end and the front end are still linked together since the front end is predetermined with a specific delivery environment.
Brightspot’s hybrid-headless CMS philosophy enables total flexibility: with Brightspot, information from one piece of content can be massaged into different forms before being delivered to a user. Further, business logic in the transformation layer can be swapped out as needed while maintaining the data contract. The transformation layer decouples the content data from the presentation system, allowing Brightspot to simultaneously operate as a headless CMS while also performing traditional rendering. This approach truly offers the best of both worlds.
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