Features
- Code-first config with full TypeScript support
- Auto-generated admin UI from your config
- Built-in auth, access control, and versioning
- Next.js native integration (Payload 3.0)
Pros
- Developer-first with TypeScript throughout
- Self-hosted with full data ownership
- Extremely flexible — CMS, app framework, or both
Cons
- Steeper learning curve than visual CMS builders
- Requires developer involvement for content modeling
- Smaller community than Strapi or Contentful
Overview
Payload CMS is a TypeScript-first headless CMS where your content model is defined in code, not through a visual interface. This code-first approach means your CMS configuration lives in your repository, is version-controlled, and generates a fully-typed admin panel automatically.
With Payload 3.0, the CMS integrates natively with Next.js, running inside the same application. It provides built-in authentication, role-based access control, document versioning, localization, and a powerful admin UI — all auto-generated from your TypeScript config.
When to Use
Payload CMS is ideal for developers who want a code-first CMS with TypeScript, when building a Next.js application that needs integrated content management, or when you need the flexibility to use the CMS as both a content manager and an application framework.
Getting Started
npx create-payload-app@latestimport { buildConfig } from "payload";
export default buildConfig({
collections: [
{
slug: "posts",
fields: [
{ name: "title", type: "text", required: true },
{ name: "content", type: "richText" },
{ name: "status", type: "select", options: ["draft", "published"] },
],
},
],
});