In modern web projects, as an agency, we need a CMS that can do more than just manage content.
Payload is not just a headless CMS, but a complete backend that seamlessly integrates into our existing architecture. It offers an API-first architecture, a complete data model, flexible user management, and is fully open source (MIT license).
Seamless integration with Next.js
From version 3 onwards, Payload CMS is fully integrated into Next.js, meaning that backend and frontend no longer exist as separate systems. Instead of managing a separate Express backend, all API routes and the admin interface are embedded directly into the Next.js project. This means that the entire codebase remains in one place, simplifying development, deployment, and maintenance significantly.
This deep integration with Next.js makes Payload not just a headless CMS, but a natural part of the Next.js architecture. Developers can directly access the Payload database, manage API endpoints, and control content within the same codebase - without any additional overhead or external dependencies.
Easy deployment & scalability
Since Payload CMS runs within Next.js, a single deployment is enough to bring both the backend and frontend live. The application can smoothly operate on modern hosting platforms like Vercel as a serverless architecture.
This integration brings crucial benefits:
- Reduced infrastructure effort, as no separate server or API layer is required.
- Automatic scalability, as Payload runs serverless.
- Seamless CI/CD pipelines, as the entire system is deployed and tested in a unified workflow.
This means that with Payload CMS and Next.js, development can be faster and deployment and scalability easier.
Optimized performance with SSR, SSG & ISR
Thanks to the deep integration, developers in Next.js can directly access the local Payload API to retrieve or update data without additional HTTP requests. This ensures that Payload feels like an integrated data source within Next.js.
Next.js then takes care of highly optimized content delivery. Depending on the use case, content can be dynamically rendered or pre-compiled:
- Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Content is generated server-side with each request, suitable for pages with frequently updated content or personalized data.
- Static Site Generation (SSG): Pages are generated once after content changes and can be delivered quickly from the edge network, without additional server load.
- Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR): Static pages can be selectively and incrementally updated without redeploying the entire project.
This architecture ensures that content is delivered as efficiently as possible: minimal server load, fast data retrieval, and optimized loading times for dynamic or static pages.
Why this is crucial for us
The close integration of Payload CMS with Next.js makes it one of the most efficient and flexible solutions for modern web applications. Managing backend and frontend in a unified architecture means for us:
- Less complexity in development and operation
- Faster development due to seamless integration and extensive functionality
- Quicker deployment with automatic scalability
- Optimized performance, whether for dynamic or static content
Therefore, thanks to this integration, we can consider Payload CMS as part of our Next.js applications, rather than treating it as an external system, and that makes all the difference.
Key arguments at a glance
Benefits
Instead of working with rigid CMS structures, we can define data models directly in the code and customize them exactly to our needs. When there are changes in the data model, the necessary migrations are automatically created and executed during deployment. This reduces development time, facilitates maintenance, and ensures a clean codebase.
Payload CMS relies on an API-first architecture, making content retrievable through a REST or GraphQL API. This allows a clean and efficient separation of backend and frontend when needed, without restrictions on data processing.
Since Payload and Next.js both natively support TypeScript, we have consistent type safety from backend to frontend. Payload automatically generates TypeScript types based on our data models, saving us time and ensuring clean, maintainable code.
Another significant advantage is how quickly Payload CMS is ready to use. Within minutes, we can set up a complete environment with CMS and Next.js frontend without complicated configuration.
In addition, Payload has many features that make our lives easier, such as a generated admin UI for content management, integrated authentication and user roles, media management, or multilingual support.
These features are available 'out of the box,' so developers don't have to reinvent the wheel every time. Instead of developing time-consuming custom solutions for basic CMS functionality, we can focus directly on the actual application functionalities.
For us, Payload is more than just a headless CMS because it is a scalable platform that grows with our requirements. Whether it's a web app, digital platform, or tailored enterprise solution, Payload gives us full control over our backend and content without unnecessary restrictions.
Drawbacks
Payload is relatively new and therefore not as developed as other headless CMS that have been on the market for years. While the community is growing rapidly, it is still smaller compared to systems like Strapi or Contentful. This means that there are currently fewer plugins, integrations, and community resources, often requiring the development of custom solutions.
For a long time, Payload exclusively used MongoDB, making relational database setups impossible. Although PostgreSQL is now officially supported, this implementation is still relatively new and therefore less optimized for large amounts of content.
Payload is actively being developed, which on the one hand ensures rapid growth and new features, but on the other hand also occasionally leads to breaking changes. In some cases, the documentation lags behind, requiring a bit more research and testing to smoothly integrate new versions.
The admin interface of Payload is functional but not as polished and visually appealing as, for example, Contentful or Strapi. Larger editorial teams might wish for more flexible customization of the UI.
Our conclusion as an agency
Therefore, Payload CMS is not just a headless CMS for us, but the natural backend for our Next.js applications. The deep integration eliminates the typical separation point between CMS and application - content, APIs, and business logic merge into a unified, performant, and scalable architecture. This not only makes our development faster and more efficient but also more sustainable and future-proof.
For this reason, we have specialized in Payload CMS and are now official Payload partners.