Strapi

Strapi is the most popular open-source headless CMS. It auto-generates a customizable REST and GraphQL API from your content models and ships with a polished admin panel, role-based access control, and a media library — so teams can manage content for any front end (web, mobile, IoT).

Market opportunity

The headless CMS market is projected to pass $1.6B by 2027. Proprietary platforms like Contentful start around $300/month and scale to enterprise contracts in the tens of thousands. Self-hosting Strapi removes those per-seat and API fees entirely — a strong wedge for agencies and product teams.

Technical overview

• Stack: Node.js (Koa) backend, React admin; supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite.
• API-first: instant REST + GraphQL, fine-grained permissions, a plugin system, and a content-types builder.
• Deploy anywhere: Docker, your own VPS, or managed Strapi Cloud.

Who's it for

Agencies building client sites, JAMstack/Next.js teams, and any product needing a flexible content backend.

Get started

npx create-strapi-app@latest my-project --quickstart

This launches the admin at http://localhost:1337/admin. Build a content type (e.g. 'Article'), add fields, set permissions, and your API is live at /api/articles. Consume it from any front end:

const res = await fetch('http://localhost:1337/api/articles');
const { data } = await res.json();