Joomla vs Headless CMS. Which one is better?

Joomla is an open-source content management system (CMS) that allows you to create and manage dynamic websites through a feature-rich administration panel. Launched in 2005 as a fork of the Mambo CMS, Joomla's first version was released on September 16, 2005. Built on a model-view-controller (MVC) framework, Joomla is versatile and suitable for various applications beyond content management. Its simplicity has attracted a large user base, resulting in over 100 million downloads to date.

Joomla powers 2.4% of all websites that use a known CMS. Like other traditional CMS platforms such as WordPress, Joomla is designed to build, organize, manage, and publish web content. While WordPress leads in overall usage, Joomla has carved out a niche, often being used by sites with higher traffic compared to platforms like Squarespace and Wix.

👍 User-friendly

👍 Ideal for building websites     

👍 Advanced community and documentation

👍 Open source and (partially) free to use

👍  Multilingual support

👍  SEO friendly

👎 Generic look and feel

👎 Prone to security breaches

👎  Limited market share

👎  Slower performance

👎 Time-consuming maintenance

Besides traditional CMSs like Joomla, you can choose to use a  headless CMS. A headless CMS is a backend-only solution that separates the website's presentation layer from its backend (the editing environment and database). It uses an API to make digital content available on all platforms. When someone visits a website or opens a mobile app, the content automatically adjusts to the environment and displays perfectly.

👍 Scalable, ideal for omnichannel platforms

👍 Frontend freedom

👍 Secure & Reliable

👍 Versatile, no technical limitations

👍 Unique look and feel

👍 Adaptability

👍 Faster performance

👎 Requires more development

Both Joomla and a headless CMS can be used to build websites and applications. But how do you know which solution is best for your organization? While Joomla might seem the obvious choice due to its free, open-source nature and minimal development requirements, we believe a headless CMS is the wiser choice for two main reasons: creativity and security.

When designing a website for your business, you want it to align with your brand guidelines and unique look. Joomla allows you to choose from thousands of high-quality templates, some of which are free. Many templates offer a graphical user interface for easy customization of colors, fonts, layouts, and features. You can also combine multiple templates on your site, giving different pages distinct designs. However, since Joomla powers over 3% of all websites, using a common template can result in a generic look.

Opting for a headless CMS allows for complete customization of the website's appearance. A designer creates a distinct digital platform, and then a front-end developer translates this design into a fully functional website or app. This approach ensures a consistent and unique customer experience across all platforms, fully aligned with your brand guidelines. That’s why, in terms of creativity, a headless CMS offers more freedom, helping you create a distinctive and outstanding customer experience.

When comparing the security of Joomla with a headless CMS, let's focus on how they handle technical aspects. Joomla is a traditional CMS that links a website's frontend and backend. It uses a graphical interface for creating and publishing styled templates. Content resides in a database and is displayed when visitors land on a page. This integration, however, exposes traditional CMS setups to security risks.

Hackers often target the database of traditional CMS platforms to steal sensitive data like personal info or payment details. In contrast, a headless CMS separates the frontend from the backend. Content is delivered via a content distribution network (CDN), and an API manages read-only content for the frontend. This decoupling means there's no direct connection between the frontend and backend, significantly reducing vulnerability to hacking.

Headless Joomla, for real?

Although Joomla is mainly known as a traditional content management system (CMS), it can operate in a headless way using its API capabilities. Joomla itself isn't built specifically for headless operations, but Joomla 4 introduced a powerful API that lets developers programmatically access and manage content. With Joomla's API, developers can fetch content and integrate it into any front-end application, effectively turning Joomla into a headless CMS. Alternatively, developers can create custom APIs or extend Joomla's existing ones for specific needs, allowing them to build custom front-end applications that use Joomla's content.

Using Joomla as a headless CMS offers benefits like flexibility, scalability, and clear separation of concerns. However, it also presents challenges. Developers need to understand Joomla's API and may require additional development skills to create and manage front-end applications effectively.

We value creativity and security as essential considerations in choosing a new CMS. While implementing a headless CMS demands additional development resources, the investment is justified. On the one hand, it helps you deliver more consistent and unique customer experiences. On the other hand, it helps you protect your visitor’s data from hackers. Where do you stand on this?