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In web development today, decoupling frontend and backend systems has gained significant traction, giving rise to headless websites.

Traditionally, Content Management Systems (CMSs) have always been coupled together, but that came with many limitations, such as restricted flexibility and scalability.

However, modern headless CMS empowers developers to decouple the frontend, built with any framework, from the backend via a headless CMS.

What Is a Headless CMS? A Headless CMS is a specialized content management system that exclusively manages your site’s backend. Unlike traditional CMSs, it doesn’t dictate how content appears on the frontend. Instead, it provides an Application Programming Interface (API) for developers to retrieve and deliver content to any device or platform.

Headless WordPress

WordPress, in its traditional form, is not inherently a headless CMS. WordPress is a popular and powerful CMS that is known for its ease of use and flexibility in content creation and management.

However, it traditionally combines content management and how it’s presented in a single system. Nowadays, developers have created headless implementations of WordPress by utilizing its REST API. In such cases, WordPress still functions as the CMS where you create, manage, and store content.

However, instead of rendering the frontend or the website directly through WordPress templates and themes, the frontend presentation is decoupled or detached from the backend. This allows developers to build applications using different technologies and frameworks while still leveraging the familiar WordPress content management capabilities.

It’s a way to make WordPress function more headless, even though it’s not the default configuration.

Architecture of how headless WordPress works.

Understanding REST API for Headless WordPress The REST API is a foundational pillar in WordPress development that facilitates data retrieval in JSON format.

Since WordPress 4.7, it has been built into WordPress and does not require any plugin for it to work. It provides data access to the content of your site and implements the same authentication restrictions — content that is public on your site is generally publicly accessible via the REST API, while private content, password-protected content, internal users, custom post types, and metadata is only available with authentication or if you specifically set it to be so.

To get your WordPress data in a JSON format, append /wp-json to your WordPress site URL:

<p>https://www.yourwordpresssite.com/wp-json:</p>

This works for local and public WordPress sites, offering endpoints for posts, pages, comments, media, etc.

<p>/wp/v2/posts</p>
<p>/wp/v2/comments</p>
<p>/wp/v2/media</p>

There is more to what you can do with the REST API. Read our complete guide to learn more.

Exploring WPGraphQL for Headless WordPress In 2012, Facebook introduced GraphQL, a revolutionary approach to data retrieval over APIs. Its declarative nature and selective data fetching provided a robust alternative to traditional REST APIs. In 2015, Jason Bahl recognized the demand for a solution that combines the flexibility of GraphQL with the content capabilities of WordPress and then released WPGraphQL, a game-changer for WordPress developers.

How To Use WPGraphQL To use WPGraphQL, follow these steps:

Key Features of WPGraphQL WPGraphQL has key features for a streamlined and targeted data retrieval experience, as shown below.

Single Endpoint for Precise Data Retrieval

WPGraphQL provides a unified endpoint, typically /graphql, allowing you to retrieve specific data efficiently. This contrasts with the REST API, where you need multiple endpoints to gather the same information.

Targeted Queries for Efficient Retrieval With GraphQL, you can craft specific queries tailored to your needs. This allows you to request only the necessary data, minimizing over-fetching.

Multiple Root Resources In WPGraphQL, you can query multiple root resources in a single request, making it flexible and efficient.

Choosing the Ideal Head for Headless WordPress When embarking on the journey of a headless WordPress setup, one of the critical decisions you face is selecting the ideal head – the frontend technology that will power your user interface and dictate the user experience.

Summary Both WPGraphQL and the REST API offer powerful ways to fetch data from a headless WordPress CMS and integrate it seamlessly into frontend applications.

At Kinsta, creating and managing your WordPress (backend) is a breeze with…

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