Comparing Web Development Architectures: Headless vs Decoupled vs Traditional

The task of selecting an appropriate architecture for building web applications can be daunting, as each architecture offers its own unique set of solutions. For instance, the headless architecture provides an expansive scope for future enhancements to your website. It grants the flexibility to adopt any front-end technologies that align with your project needs.

Conversely, the decoupled architecture separates the front-end and back-end of a web app into separate systems. Lastly, the traditional or coupled architecture offers a rigid setup where the back-end and front-end are tightly coupled together.

While this summary provides a brief overview of the three website-building architectures, it is crucial to gather more detailed information in order to make an informed decision.

What is Headless Architecture?

Headless Architecture is a CMS-based solution dealing with the content or the back-end. It does not have a head or front-end part; thus, the term 'headless' has been coined to describe this type of architecture.

The headless CMS is used to edit and store the content, but it is not responsible for how the content is presented visually. The developers responsible for the front-end design are given the flexibility to consider any framework they prefer.

Once the content is built in the back end, it is set live on the website. The new front-end layer requests the content through an Application Programming Interface (API). The content delivered this way is entirely unorganized. The front-end developers are responsible for presenting the content on the site.

In this scenario, the front-end and back-end systems are loosely linked through the API. Also, the content, which is raw data, can be used for any application or device.

What is Decoupled Architecture?

Decoupled CMS architecture disintegrates the front-end segment of the website from its back-end. This usually occurs when a Traditional CMS wants to convert into headless. They start by replacing the layer of templates with an API. It further wraps all objects and calls them in the business logic layer. It separates the process of delivering and creating content.

Thus, you can refer to this architecture as proactive. With this architecture, you can prepare the presentation of the content and send it to the definite delivery environment. Like the headless architecture, it has an API that integrates the front and back-end.

However, there is a stark difference between headless and decoupled CMS, which we will discuss in the later section of the blog.

The given (below) image provides a visual representation of the Decoupled CMS architecture.

What is Traditional Architecture?

Traditional CMS architecture, also called Coupled CMS solution. This system combines content management and presentation in a single platform. This implies that the front-end and the back-end part are predefined and rigid. Although customization of the setup is possible, it will need a lot of time. It has a database where digital assets and content are stored.

You can't use a different front-end or UI-based framework. It has What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editors or templates that developers can use to manage the content and build websites. Due to these preset templates or WYSIWYG editors, the "go-to" market time is comparatively less than other types of architecture, allowing developers to quickly build the website along with the content and publish the website.

Let’s get a visual presentation of Traditional CMS architecture.

Highlighting the Key Differences between Traditional, Decoupled and Headless Architecture

Before getting into more details about the comparison, let's give a quick overview of the differences in a tabular form.

Narrowing down insights from the above table, the scalability and flexibility of Traditional CMS architecture are low. This is since the framework or design used for the back-end and front-end parts are preset. Developers will have no flexibility to use any front-end framework they prefer.

Here, the database lies at the core of traditional architecture. It stores every detail about the page template, navigation, component types, and structure.

With this traditional CMS architecture, you can produce the content directly from the database into the UI. However, traditional architecture is not the appropriate solution to manage content from different channels.

Decoupled CMS solutions fall in the intermediary state between Traditional and Headless architecture. Compared to simple websites built with traditional CMS, platforms built with decoupled architecture perform better. However, decoupled architecture will not serve the purpose if you want to build complex web apps other than single-page websites. It is because a decoupled CMS does not offer complex eCommerce features. Additionally, some front-end frameworks need more expertise to handle complex languages than CSS and HTML.

Lastly, headless architecture provides maximum flexibility to developers using different front-end frameworks. You can create any project- native mobile apps or websites. Most importantly, you don't have to compromise on its security or performance. Developers don't have to learn and integrate new technologies. They can select the familiar ones and concentrate on their tasks. Further, this flexibility can allow you to experiment with the project development process with the latest technologies. It will not only reduce website maintenance time but also incorporate code automation. Headless CMS solution considers API-first principles and agile architecture. This can let you implement solutions like eCommerce platforms, enable localization and build omnichannel experiences.

Will Headless Come Back in 2023?

Yes, it will. Provided the flexibility offered by Headless architecture, its usage rate will increase. Although headless architecture is in use, its resurgence is significant in 2023. One of the important reasons is the increasing adoption of omnichannel experiences. Another driver is the surging need for flexibility and agility in software development. Headless architecture allows businesses to offer personalized and consistent experiences across omnichannel platforms along with greater flexibility.

It is also validated by the survey (given below) from Google Trends.

The Headless CMS search rate is more extensive than the other two CMS architectures.

Final Thoughts

There are different types of architecture that you can use for the CMS solution. However, you must consider four significant contexts to achieve the best output. These include team expertise, goals, mission, and web architecture. Also, if you want to build websites for every possible platform, look for an architecture that can offer greater scalability, flexibility, and quicker integration.