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Contentful: The API-first Content Management System

mike-johnston Profile

It’s time to kick off another featured week here on CMS Critic, and this time we’re joined by Contentful.

Contentful is a cloud-hosted content management system that works around a two-pillared philosophy: developer friendliness and isolated content management.

With customers like Nike, eBay and Red Bull, it’s safe to say that Contentful is a platform capable of handling all projects – from responsive websites to apps – no matter the size.

Let’s now take a look at what Contentful brings to the table as a CMS.

What is Contentful For

Contentful is all about getting content where you need it, no matter where you need it.

Here’s Contentful in their own words:

“We believe that one CMS shouldn't attempt to please everyone. Whereas most CMS try to be omni-purpose and cover as much use cases as possible, Contentful focuses on several specific applications to truly excel in its realm.”

Those specific applications that Contentful is suited for, include:

  • Cross-platform publishing

  • Mobile content management backend

  • Integration with existing applications

  • Rich web experiences

Some use cases include in-store touch screens for Nike, and the mobile backend for Krush, a mobile lifestyle app.

API-first, Not Browser-first

Contentful makes all content accessible via an API, so that developers can take, access, and display content anywhere – and in any fashion.

Multiple API keys enable granular access control, while content can be imported from other sources using either the API or custom scripts.

The powerful APIs of Contentful give developers a simpler way to load content into apps, websites, or even to build completely custom editing interfaces.

Pure content

As the name suggests, Contentful puts content before anything else. Traditionally, content management systems have catered to a page-centric model, using HTML-based templates. But by “[separating] the content from the presentation”, Contentful help their users to organize and structure their content more freely.

Instead of providing pre-defined templates, Contentful focuses on delivering the content, leaving the user to present it in any way they like.

In other words, Contentful delivers the content, and you design around it.

To find out more about Contentful, visit their website.

And of course, stay tuned for more Contentful coverage throughout the week, as we explore the various benefits of this enterprise-grade platform.