The best Gatsby CMS: How to choose and know if you're making the right choice?
Published: 2024-03-13 16:26:37

Choosing the best Gatsby CMS? You want your website to load quickly and be scalable, whether a blog, your company's homepage, or an e-commerce website. A modern way to build websites today is with static site generators such as Gatsby.

You can achieve your goals with  Gatsby, but Gatsby cannot do it alone. You need to manage content somewhere- that's where CMS comes in.

## Why does a static site generator like Gatsby need a CMS?

With Gatsby as a static site generator, you can create fast and secure websites from templates and data sources. Gatsby's website pages are pre-rendered as static files and fetched by the server at build time which directly positively impacts SEO. Even more powerful, Gatsby still needs a way to manage and update the content on those pages. This is one of the primary reasons why you need a [CMS for Gatsby](https://thebcms.com/gatsby-cms).

In short, Gatsby covers framework and deployment, but a huge part of the puzzle remains missing—a place to manage content.

Ok, I hope this makes sense - the next question is: Which CMS is suitable for Gatsby?

## What is the best Gatsby CMS?

While Gatsby can work with various types of CMS platforms, there are certain characteristics or limitations of some CMS types that might make them less suitable or more challenging to integrate effectively with Gatsby.

### Why some types of CMS don't fit Gatsby? (or CMS limitations)

- Traditional CMS: Traditional (monolithic) CMS platforms often come with a heavy backend and server-side rendering (SSR) architecture. They might rely on server-side databases and generate content dynamically on each request. This architecture contrasts with Gatsby's static site generation approach, which pre-builds pages at build time. 

Learn more: [SSG Static Site Generation VS. SSR Server-Side Rendering](https://thebcms.com/blog/static-site-generation-vs-server-side-rendering)

- Integrating such CMS platforms with Gatsby may require significant customization or result in performance drawbacks due to redundant server-side rendering.

- Proprietary or closed-source CMS: Some CMS platforms might not offer the necessary APIs or flexibility required for seamless integration with Gatsby. Closed-source CMS systems may limit access to underlying data or customization options, making integration challenging or impossible without vendor support or specific plugins.

- CMS with limited API support: Gatsby typically integrates with CMS platforms through APIs, GraphQL, or webhooks. CMS platforms that lack robust API support or have limited customization capabilities may not provide the necessary endpoints or data structures required for Gatsby integration. This limitation can hinder the ability to source content efficiently or may require complex workarounds.

- CMS designed for Server-side rendering (SSR): CMS platforms optimized for server-side rendering may not align well with Gatsby's static site generation approach. (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Adobe Experience Manager).

- These CMS systems might rely heavily on SSR for content delivery and dynamic page generation, which contrasts with Gatsby's pre-built static pages. Adapting such CMS platforms to work effectively with Gatsby may involve significant architectural changes or performance trade-offs.

- Complex data models or hierarchies: CMS platforms with complex data models, nested structures, or hierarchical content may pose challenges for integration with Gatsby. While Gatsby can handle structured data, overly complex data models may require additional effort to map to Gatsby's GraphQL schema or may result in performance issues during build time.

- Limited extensibility: Some CMS platforms may lack extensibility or customizability, making it difficult to integrate them with Gatsby or extend their functionality to meet specific project requirements. CMS systems with closed ecosystems or limited plugin support may restrict developers' ability to tailor the integration according to their needs.

But what about headless CMS? 

## Why use headless CMS for Gatsby?

It is a well-known fact that headless CMS represents a strong connection between the backend and frontend, but at the same time gives enormous freedom and flexibility to both sides. There is no difference in concept when it comes to Gatsby either. Headless CMS Gatsby integration represents a well-known and tried-and-tested recipe:

A headless CMS is a decoupled system that separates the content and the presentation layer. This means that the CMS only stores and manages your content, and exposes it via an API. A separate frontend, such as Gatsby handles the presentation layer.

### Headless Gatsby CMS features

A [headless CMS](https://thebcms.com/blog/headless-cms-101) has features that are a good fit for Gatsby:

- Frontend Flexibility: With a headless CMS, you gain control over your frontend. You're not confined to specific technologies; rather, you can use any web technology you want, such as React, GraphQL, or TypeScript, and customize your site to your needs.

- Moreover, leveraging Gatsby's features like image optimization, code splitting, and progressive web app support ensures your site is not only visually stunning but also lightning-fast and responsive.

- Improved performance and security: For optimal speed and reliability, a CDN or hosting service, such as Netlify or Vercel, can serve static files from your site. By using a headless CMS, you can reduce the load on your backend server and reduce the risk of attacks on your site.

 Learn more: [Headless CMS Impact on Website Security: Key Considerations](https://thebcms.com/blog/impact-of-headless-cms-on-website-security)

- Simplified content management and delivery: The adoption of a headless CMS simplifies the entire content management process. You can access and update your content from any location, using any device with internet connectivity. Moreover, the versatility of a headless CMS allows you to publish content across multiple platforms, be it your website, mobile applications, or various social media platforms—all through a single, cohesive API.

- Dynamic content personalization: With a headless CMS, you have the flexibility to implement dynamic content personalization strategies. A more engaging and personalized user experience can be achieved by tailoring content according to user behavior, preferences, or demographic data.

Ok, there is a conclusion Gatsby + CMS = Awesome and powerful features. Next formula that needs to be answered: How to use Gatsby CMS features? 

## What can you build with a Gatsby CMS?

The versatility of Gatsby CMS in catering to various content management needs, from static content websites to dynamic applications with real-time updates and interactive features. Gatsby's static site generation capabilities, combined with its ability to integrate with dynamic data sources, make it suitable for a wide range of website and application types.


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/u411rqe1hqgsvqqqkx32.png)

### Gatsby CMS examples: Static content websites

Static Content Websites:

- Blogs and Portfolios: Content such as blog posts, articles, and multimedia can be managed and organized efficiently through the CMS interface. Gatsby's static site generation ensures fast page loads and optimal performance for readers.

- Company Websites (with static information such as about us): Gatsby CMS is ideal for building company websites that feature static information such as company history, team members, services, and contact details. The CMS allows easy management of content, ensuring that the website stays up-to-date with the latest company information. Gatsby's static site generation ensures reliability and scalability, even during high-traffic periods.

- Landing Pages: Using Gatsby CMS for landing pages ensures fast loading times and customizable designs, enabling marketers to optimize content, perform A/B testing, and integrate with analytics tools for effective conversion rate optimization. Gatsby's static site generation ensures scalability, reliability, and SEO-friendliness, facilitating seamless user experiences and driving conversions.

Variations of static websites are numerous (documentation websites, news websites, podcasts, etc.) and all can be created with the help of Gatsby CMS. What kind of website can be made depends on two things: inspiration and knowledge. I'll leave the inspiration to you (for now :D), but that's why I'm happy to share the knowledge: Gatsby tutorial: Build a static site with a headless CMS.

### Gatsby CMS examples: Static websites with dynamic content integration

- E-commerce websites: Gatsby CMS can power e-commerce websites by integrating with headless e-commerce platforms or custom backends. The CMS enables efficient management of product listings, categories, and inventory, while Gatsby's static site generation ensures fast and responsive shopping experiences.

- Event Websites: The Gatsby CMS is well-suited to creating event websites for conferences, workshops, or community gatherings. The CMS allows easy management of event details, schedules, speaker bios, and registration forms.

### Gatsby CMS examples: Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

Educational Platforms: Gatsby CMS can be used to create PWAs for educational platforms, offering offline access to course materials, push notifications for updates, and other PWA features. Gatsby's static site generation ensures that educational content is available even when users are offline, providing a seamless learning experience.

## How Gatsby CMS integration works

Gatsby CMS integration connects a headless CMS platform with a Gatsby site to manage and deliver content. Here are the basic steps:

- Setup CMS: First, you choose a headless CMS platform that fits your needs and preferences. Popular options include (more in next heading).

- Content modeling: You define the content structure in the CMS, creating content types, fields, and relationships as needed. This step allows you to organize and structure your content in a way that makes sense for your website or application.

- Content Creation: Content creators use the CMS interface to create and edit content. They can add text, images, videos, metadata, and other assets to populate the website or application.

- API Integration: The CMS provides an API (typically RESTful or GraphQL) that exposes the content to be consumed by the Gatsby site. Gatsby uses this API to fetch content during the build process.

- Gatsby setup: In your Gatsby project, you install plugins that enable integration with the chosen CMS and configure them with the necessary API credentials and settings.

- Content fetching: Gatsby fetches content from the CMS API and transforms it into static HTML pages using GraphQL queries during the build process. Gatsby nodes represent each piece of content, making it available for querying and rendering in your site's components.

- Static Site Generation: Gatsby generates static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files based on the fetched content and templates defined in your Gatsby project. These static files are optimized for performance and can be deployed to any hosting platform.

- Deployment: Once the static site is generated, you deploy it to a hosting provider such as [Netlify](https://www.netlify.com/), [Vercel](https://vercel.com/), or [AWS S3](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/). The hosting provider serves the static files to users, ensuring fast and reliable delivery of content.

Finally, now it’s time to see popular CMS options for Gatsby integration.

## Choosing the best Gatsby CMS

According to [Gatsby's documentation](https://www.gatsbyjs.com/docs/conceptual/choosing-a-cms/), if you’re looking for a headless CMS to power your website, there are three main factors you can use to narrow your search:

- CMS with first-class Gatsby integrations
- Price point
- Specialized requirements

I will consider these factors but I will moderate it a little bit. So let's start with the list of the best CMS for Gatsby.

### The best Gatsby CMS example: Contentful

Without a doubt, [Contentful](https://www.contentful.com/) is the most common headless CMS used with Gatsby. According to the [Gatsby Plugin Library](https://www.gatsbyjs.com/plugins?=gatsby-source), gatsby-source-contentful has 181k downloads which really tells us that Contentful is a strong headless CMS for Gatsby sites.

Contentful is a cloud-based headless CMS, with which you can create and manage your content in a flexible and modular way. With Contentful, you get a powerful GraphQL API with a user-friendly interface, as well as a rich content modeling system. 

Many consider Contentful to be the default Gatsby CMS, and if it has many pros, some of the cons say that a large number of people are also reaching for [Contentful alternatives](https://thebcms.com/blog/contentful-alternatives-comparison-top-platforms).

### Contentful pros and cons:


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ns3xjs9l29xbkujgsr1y.jpg)

Ok, maybe Contentful is the most used CMS for Gatsby but for sure is not the only one. Here are some Contentful alternatives that are worth trying.

### The best Gatsby CMS example: Sanity

[Sanity](https://www.sanity.io/gatsby-cms) is a headless CMS that allows you to manage and create content completely customized. Developers can quickly build customized sites using Sanity's seamless integration with Gatsby. The Gatsby Source plugin from Sanity lets developers preview their sites in real-time during production.

Sanity is considered a good CMS for Gatsby for several reasons:

###  Sanity pros and cons: 

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/lcjz94tl8z2cn16k5qco.jpg)

### The best Gatsby CMS example: Strapi

By integrating [Strapi](https://strapi.io/) with Gatsby, users can create static or dynamic sites and apps with Rest and GraphQL APIs. Providing an easy-to-configure Rest or GraphQL endpoint it can be virtually plugged into any framework without a lot of trouble.

### Strapi pros and cons:


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/d70mcm7ira3b5l1ywg6a.jpg)

### The best Gatsby CMS example: Hygraph

[Hygraph](https://hygraph.com/) pairs well with Gatsby as both are GraphQL-native platforms. One GraphQL API can query content quickly in a secure environment, which makes Hygraph an ideal CMS solution for a Gatsby website.

Hygraph pros and cons:


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/qgkqs6gb2u6m7srf7qna.jpg)

### The best Gatsby CMS example: Dato CMS

[Dato CMS](https://www.datocms.com/) is a cloud-based headless CMS that shares many features with Contentful but at a more affordable price and with an expansive free tier. It seamlessly integrates with Gatsby, offering functionalities like live previews, incremental builds, and image transformations for enhanced performance.

### Dato CMS pros and cons:


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/r4re8jjon2sk2etez9jb.jpg)

### The best Gatsby CMS example: Decap CMS

[Decap CMS](https://decapcms) provides developers with an intuitive UI editor, simplifying content creation and page structuring for Gatsby sites. It seamlessly integrates with any static site generator, enhancing project flexibility and speed. Content is stored alongside your code in the Git repository, streamlining version control processes.

### Decap CMS pros and cons:


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9b10e8ywg18oat2v1ttn.jpg)

### The best Gatsby CMS example: Prismic CMS

[Prismic CMS](https://prismic.io/) simplifies the creation and management of content for static sites, providing developers and marketers with a powerful tool to craft reusable website sections known as Slices. This component-centric approach aligns seamlessly with the needs of developers working on Gatsby static sites.

### Prismic CMS pros and cons: 


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/n3y44k2plxt8nmewq5oy.jpg)

### The best Gatsby CMS example: Butter CMS

[Butter CMS](https://buttercms.com/) serves as an API-based CMS and blogging engine, ideal for powering blogs. When paired with Gatsby, it enables the development of exceptionally fast and SEO-friendly websites (focus on the blogs).

### Butter CMS pros and cons:


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/wee2nzxlvbwll6z8gipm.jpg)

### The best Gatsby CMS example: Contentstack

Pros and cons: 


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/57m7sdffp1dq8x9udmkf.jpg)

### The best Gatsby CMS example: BCMS

BCMS is an open-source headless CMS built on the modern stack that provides easy content modeling for creative [Gatsby, NextJS and Nuxt](https://thebcms.com/blog/gatsby-vs-next-vs-nuxt-key-features) projects. 

Recognized as a [strong Contentful Alternative](https://thebcms.com/blog/bcms-is-a-strong-contentful-alternative), BCMS is a great choice for Gatsby websites because it offers an API that easily integrates with Gatsby. Also, BCMS has [code starters](https://github.com/bcms/starters/tree/master/gatsby) available for integrating Gatsby as a data source.

### BCMS pros and cons:


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/c88gumge0wclsbm6efhc.jpg)

## The best Gatsby CMS- An overview

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/spinsaev0ehn6vlchazb.jpg)

## Final Thoughts on the best Headless CMS for Gatsby

Gatsby's emphasis on speed, security, and usability makes it a popular choice for building static sites, and there are numerous headless CMS options available to power Gatsby projects. In this article, I explored 10 popular CMS options, each offering powerful tools for content management.

However, the best CMS for a Gatsby site will ultimately depend on the unique requirements of each project. Factors such as scalability, ease of use, collaboration features, and customization capabilities should all be considered when selecting a CMS.

When it comes to choosing a headless CMS for your Gatsby website, the good news is that you're not limited to just one option. Gatsby's capability to integrate multiple sources enables you to work on different sections of your site with multiple headless CMS platforms.

Therefore, you do not lose anything if you choose BCMS for your next Gatsby project. Okay, except for maybe 2 minutes to setup BCMS and connect it to Gatsby. So lose those 2 minutes and check out why BCMS is the best Gatsby CMS.