Payload CMS
Developer-first headless CMS and application framework built with TypeScript
Overview
Payload CMS is a TypeScript-first headless CMS and application framework for Node.js. It uses a code-first approach where developers define collections, globals, and access control in config files, auto-generating a REST and GraphQL API and an admin UI. It supports PostgreSQL and MongoDB, rich text with Lexical or Slate, file uploads, and full local API access for server-side code. Deployment is via Docker or any Node.js host.
Where it falls short of Contentful
- Entirely code-first; non-technical editors cannot modify content schema without developer help
- No built-in CDN or image optimization; requires external services
- Plugin and integration marketplace is smaller than Contentful or Strapi
- Real-time collaborative editing is not natively supported
We list the gaps honestly so you can decide if the trade-off is worth owning your data.
Tags
Claim this listing to keep it accurate, add a deploy template, or feature it on relevant pages.
Embed the Payload CMS difficulty badge in your README — it links back here.
[](https://openreplace.com/payload-cms)Similar open-source projects
Other self-hostable tools in the same space worth comparing.
Leading open-source headless CMS with flexible API and content type builder
Modern open-source publishing platform for blogs and newsletters
World's most widely used open-source CMS and blogging engine
Flexible Django CMS built for developers and editors