Definition. A CMS that delivers content exclusively or primarily through APIs and leaves presentation to external frontends (SPA, mobile app, static site generator, AI pipeline). The term describes an architecture pattern more than a product feature. Traditional CMSs can also be used “headless” if their API layer is developed accordingly.

Why it matters. Headless is not a mandatory path for mid-sized companies. It makes sense when the same content is really used on several channels. Otherwise you buy complexity without resolving it.

Related. Structured Content, Content Federation, AI-ready CMS, TYPO3