That all sounds great, but what are the challenges of an API-based CMS that we are not aware of?
The above benefits are broadcasted by pretty much every API-first CMS provider to entice their customers. But what they won’t tell you are the limitations. In this section, we highlight the significant drawbacks to an API-first CMS.
1. No marketer-friendly tools or interfaces
One of the main reasons why WordPress currently dominates 30 percent of the internet was largely due to its frontend user-friendly editor. Since API-first CMS is a backend-only solution out-of-the-box, users do not have access to a user-friendly editor.
This is a major setback for non-technical users like marketers and content creators. The only way around this is to ask developers to create their own custom frontend presentation layer, which comes with its own disadvantages as highlighted in the next point.
2. Over-reliant on IT
With IT teams now having to create their own custom frontend on an API-first CMS, it creates more work for them and increases the overall total cost of ownership. Plus, for any changes to the frontend template or layout, marketers will have to submit a request to their IT team for these changes to be made.
Since most IT teams have various other priorities to attend to, these change requests won’t get done straight away. For brands, this slows down their time-to-market and further dents their competitive position.
3. No content previews
Most API-first CMS solutions come with a backend editor that allows content editors to input their content for it to be repurposed on any channel.
The setback here is that this backend editor is not the same as a WYSIWYG editor where you can preview your content before you publish and distribute it. This puts marketers and content creators at a disadvantage since they won’t get a feel of the user experience before making it live.
4. The costs can stack up
API-first CMS solutions can be expensive to implement. There are development and maintenance costs to keep in mind, and since you’ll be working on a custom-made frontend, the onus will be on you to make sure it is secure.
Plus, if you are using an open source API-first CMS, you will also need to set aside some of your budget to purchase an infrastructure, either on-premise or hosted, to your CMS solution.