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Ever felt like WordPress is holding your design back? You’re not alone. While it’s great for managing content, the traditional setup can limit what you build on the front end.
That’s where headless WordPress can help. It lets you keep WordPress for content, but gives you total freedom to design your frontend using modern libraries and frameworks like React or Next.js. It helps you build fast and more flexible websites.
If you’re thinking about switching to a headless WordPress setup, partnering with a WordPress development agency can make the process easy. But you need to first understand how it works and the pros & cons related to it. So, let’s start with the basics!
Table of Contents
What is Headless WordPress and How Does it Work?
Headless WordPress is a concept in which WordPress is used as the backend, content management software. With it, you can manage the content and functionalities. But the frontend of the website, which is visible to the masses, is handled by a dedicated frontend platform, like React.js, Angular.js, etc.
WordPress offers a well-competent, easy-to-use admin dashboard, from where you can create and manage the content on the website effectively. Traditionally, this dashboard also offers you the themes to control the design of the website. But with headless, it’s different.
There’s also WordPress REST API, which the developers can use to access site data in JSON format.
This REST API is the center of headless WordPress as it helps the developers fetch site data from the CMS. With that, a frontend framework like React.js is at work to create a completely custom website. Speaking of the development, let’s look at how.
Key Features of Headless WordPress
- Flexibility: Developers can use modern front-end frameworks and tools to build user interfaces, providing a more dynamic and interactive user experience.
- Scalability: Since the front-end and back-end are separate, each can be scaled independently based on demand.
- Improved Performance: The front-end can be optimized for performance without being constrained by the WordPress back-end.
- Security: By exposing only the necessary endpoints, a headless setup can reduce the attack surface of a WordPress site.
These features are the reason why many WordPress developers use the headless approach for building robust websites. Now let’s learn the steps for setting up a headless WordPress in the next section.
How to Create a Headless WordPress Website?
For a WordPress website built through the headless approach, here’s how the process goes.
Step 1: Set Up a WordPress Website
First and foremost, you need to install and set up WordPress on a hosting platform. Or if you are in the experimental phase, you can go about the setup on a local server.
Then, create and add the content that is to be displayed, including all the service and product pages, blog posts, and media files. That concludes the content management part of the process.
While covered in brief, this part is critical; so make sure to do your due diligence for it.
Step 2: Enable the WordPress REST API or GraphQL
After the content is ready on WordPress, fetch it using REST API or installing a plugin like WPGraphQL. With this API, your frontend can retrieve posts and pages along with other content as structured data (JSON).
Choose REST API for simplicity or GraphQL for more efficient data queries.
Step 3: Choose a Frontend Framework
At this point, you have a choice to make. Which frontend development platform to use? React.js, Angular.js, Vue.js, or something else? They all work well with APIs.
Go to ‘Permalinks’ in WordPress settings and then select ‘Post name’ or ‘Custom Structure’ options. It ensures a clean, predictable URLs for your API endpoints.
Step 4: Install the Necessary Plugins
WordPress offers WP REST API built-in. It’s the foundation of headless functionality. Unless you are using an older version of WordPress, you won’t need to install this API separately.
Other than this, you’ll have to install the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), GraphQL for WordPress, etc.
Step 5: Choose Your Front-end Technology
There’s a range of front-end frameworks available that will suit your headless WordPress arrangement. Here are a few popular choices.
Other than these frameworks, you can also use static site generators (SSGs), like Jekyll, Hugo, etc.
Step 6: Develop the Frontend Application
After you have chosen your frontend platform, create a new project on it following the documentation.
Then, fetch the data from the WordPress API. You can use JavaScript’s fetch API to make HTTP requests to the WordPress REST API endpoints. Here are a few common endpoints.
/wp-json/wp/v2/posts: Get a list of posts.
/wp-json/wp/v2/categories: Get a list of categories.
/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/<id>: Get a specific post by ID.
/wp-json/wp/v2/tags: Get a list of tags.
/wp-json/wp/v2/media: Get media items.
/wp-json/wp/v2/users: Get user information (be mindful of privacy).
/wp-json/wp/v2/pages: Get a list of pages.
Are you using GraphQL? Then you will need to use Apollo Client, Relay, or another GraphQL client library to send the queries to the WordPress endpoint.
After that, use the frontend templating or component system for structuring the data. And, implement routing in the frontend for effortless navigation between pages and other sections of your website.
Step 7: Deploy the Headless Website
This is the final piece of the puzzle. You need to deploy the WordPress backend and the newly-set up frontend application.
With this final part, you will officially have a headless WordPress. But of course, this process can be a little complicated. So we suggest you to hire a professional WordPress development company for creating a headless website.
Benefits of Using Headless WordPress
As compared to its traditional alternative, Headless WordPress offers a range of outstanding benefits. From greater flexibility and improved performance to enhanced security, here are a few perks of this development approach:
1. Greater Flexibility in Frontend Development
Developers can use flexible, modern frameworks like React, Next.js, and Vue.js instead of traditional WordPress themes. That means full control for anything regarding design, interactivity, and user experience.
Companies can build their unique, fast, and heavily customized frontends without being limited by WordPress.
2. Improved Performance
Another massive benefit of Headless WordPress is better performance. You can optimize the frontend for speed through Static Site Generation (SSG) and Server-side Rendering (SSR). It’s done with the frontend hosted on CDN services like Vercel or Netlify for accelerated load times worldwide.
Fewer requests made directly to PHP and MySQL mean performance and scalability increase.
3. Omnichannel Content Delivery
With headless WordPress, content can be delivered across websites, mobile apps, smartwatches, and more. The REST API or GraphQL enables seamless content distribution to multiple platforms.
That makes it ideal for businesses needing a single content source for multiple digital experiences.
4. Enhanced Security
Separating the frontend from WordPress reduces the risk of direct attacks like SQL injections and DDoS, improving overall WordPress security. The WordPress admin panel remains hidden from the public, making it harder for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities.
Since there’s no direct PHP execution on the frontend, security threats are minimized.
5. Scalability for Large Websites
Headless WordPress allows the frontend to scale independently, making it ideal for high-traffic websites and large eCommerce stores. The decoupled architecture ensures that content updates do not slow down the website. Businesses can deploy content quickly without affecting site performance.
By separating backend from frontend, headless WordPress enables you to create well-designed and robust websites.
Disadvantages of a Headless WordPress Website
While Headless WordPress offers greater flexibility and performance, it also comes with a few challenges you should be aware of before making the switch.
Higher Development Costs
Unlike traditional WordPress sites that use ready-made themes, a headless setup requires a custom-built frontend. This means you’ll likely need to hire a skilled developer or a team, especially if you’re using frameworks like React or Next.js. The cost of building and maintaining that custom frontend can add up quickly.
Even if you’re an expert, it demands more time and effort than simply installing and customizing a theme. That’s time you could be spending on other parts of your business or product.
Limited Plugin Compatibility
One of the biggest perks of WordPress is its vast library of plugins. However, in a headless setup, not all plugins work as expected. Some rely on WordPress themes or expect certain elements to be rendered on the server side, something a headless setup doesn’t provide.
While popular tools like AIOSEO offer REST API support for headless websites, others might not. This means you may miss out on certain features or have to find custom solutions to make things work.
More Ongoing Maintenance
With a headless setup, you’re essentially running two systems: WordPress for managing content and a separate frontend for displaying it. Both need to be maintained, updated, and secured independently.
As your website grows, keeping everything in sync can become more complex. If something breaks, whether it’s on the content side or the frontend, you may need a developer to step in and fix it, which adds to your ongoing maintenance efforts. We recommend to take a backup of your WordPress site at regular intervals.
Simply put, headless WordPress gives you more flexibility, but it can be more expensive, not all plugins may work, and it requires extra maintenance. It’s a more technical setup that needs developer support. That said, the benefits often outweigh the drawbacks.
Headless WordPress Vs Traditional WordPress
We have understood headless WordPress now let’s check out how it differs from traditional approach with a simple difference table:
| Feature | Headless WordPress | Traditional WordPress |
| Architecture | Decoupled (separate frontend & backend) | Monolithic (frontend & backend together) |
| Flexibility | Full control over frontend design | Limited to WordPress themes & builders |
| Performance | Faster with modern frameworks (React, Next.js) | Can be slower due to PHP & plugins |
| Scalability | Easily scalable for high-traffic sites | Requires optimization for scalability |
| Security | More secure (backend is hidden) | More vulnerable to attacks (public backend) |
| Development Complexity | Requires coding knowledge (React, Vue, etc.) | Beginner-friendly, easy to set up |
| Content Delivery | API-based (REST API, GraphQL) | Directly rendered with PHP |
| SEO Optimization | Needs extra SEO configuration | SEO-friendly out of the box |
| Use Case | Best for web apps, large-scale projects | Ideal for blogs, business sites, eCommerce |
Best Plugins for Creating Headless WordPress Website
Choosing the right plugins is crucial for a successful headless WordPress website. Below are some of the best plugins for headless WordPress:
1. WPGraphQL
WPGraphQL is a free plugin that enables GraphQL support for WordPress, allowing developers to query content efficiently. It provides an alternative to the REST API, offering more flexibility in data fetching.
Key Features:
- Enables GraphQL for fetching WordPress content
- Fetches only the required data, improving performance
- Works well with React, Next.js, and Gatsby
2. Headless Mode
Headless Mode is a simple plugin that disables the default WordPress frontend and redirects all visitors to an external frontend application. This plugin ensures WordPress only functions as a backend technology.
Key Features:
- Automatically redirects frontend traffic away from WordPress
- Keeps the WordPress admin panel accessible for content management
- Lightweight and requires minimal configuration
3. Faust.js
Faust.js is a plugin and framework developed by WP Engine that simplifies headless WordPress development using React and Next.js. It streamlines the integration of WordPress and the frontend framework used.
Key Features:
- Provides built-in authentication for WordPress APIs
- Includes React hooks for fetching WordPress content
- Optimized for Next.js and SSR (Server-Side Rendering)
4. CoCart
CoCart is designed for headless WooCommerce. It allows developers to build a seamless eCommerce experience with APIs. This plugin provides REST API extensions for handling shopping cart functionalities.
Key Features:
- Enables WooCommerce cart management via REST API
- Supports custom endpoints for enhanced eCommerce features
- Works with React, Vue.js, and mobile apps
These plugins make it easier to build a headless WordPress site by improving API communication and development flexibility.
FAQs About Headless WordPress
What is Headless WordPress?
Headless WordPress separates the backend (content management system) from the frontend (user interface). Instead of using WordPress themes, the process of delivering the content is then API driven (REST or GraphQL). You can use any frontend framework such as React, Vue.js, etc.
Can I Use Headless WordPress with WooCommerce?
Yes! WooCommerce’s REST API allows headless eCommerce stores. However, checkout and cart functionality require custom frontend development.
Do Plugins Work in Headless WordPress?
Most backend plugins (SEO, ACF, WooCommerce) still function since they modify the CMS. However, frontend plugins (page builders, caching) won’t work unless they support API output.
What is the difference between headless and traditional WordPress?
Traditional WordPress handles both content and design. Headless WordPress uses WordPress only for content, with a separate custom-built frontend.
Is headless CMS bad for SEO?
Not necessarily. A headless CMS can be SEO-friendly but it depends on how the frontend is built. If developers use server-side rendering or static site generation, the site can be fast and easily crawlable by search engines.
Is headless WordPress more secure?
Yes. Decoupling the frontend reduces direct access to your WordPress backend. So it makes it harder for attackers to exploit common vulnerabilities.
Final Thoughts
Headless WordPress is a great way to build faster & more flexible websites. It lets you use WordPress for content and choose any modern tool for the design and frontend.
It may need a bit more setup and planning, but the benefits make it a smart choice for many websites.
If you want help creating a headless website, our WordPress development team is here to help you through every step. Contact us today to start your project.
