Payload CMS
FeaturedVerifiedOpen SourceAPIThe Next.js headless CMS and app framework
payloadcms.comLast updated: June 2026
Payload CMS is an open-source, TypeScript-first headless CMS and application framework, native to Next.js. Define your schema in code, get an auto-generated admin panel plus REST, GraphQL and Local APIs, and self-host it on Postgres, MongoDB or SQLite.
About
Payload CMS is an open-source, code-first headless content management system and backend framework built with TypeScript and Node.js. Its tagline says it plainly: the backend to build the modern web. Instead of clicking through a UI to model content, you define your collections, fields, access control and hooks in TypeScript, which makes the entire CMS configuration version-controllable, type-safe and reviewable like any other code.
With version 3, Payload became native to Next.js. It installs directly into the Next.js App Router, runs in the same project as your front end, and ships a polished React admin panel out of the box. From a single schema definition you automatically get a REST API, a GraphQL API and a high-performance Local API for server-side calls, so the same content is reachable however your application needs it.
Payload is fully self-hostable and database-agnostic, with official support for PostgreSQL, MongoDB and SQLite. The core is free and open source under the MIT license, with an optional paid cloud and enterprise features such as SSO, multi-tenancy, publishing workflows and visual editing for teams that need them.
Positioning
Payload positions itself as the developer-first alternative to both traditional headless CMS SaaS products like Contentful or Sanity and to monolithic CMSs like WordPress. It is aimed at teams that want to own their stack and treat content infrastructure as code.
- Code-first: the whole schema lives in TypeScript, versioned in your repo, not locked in a vendor UI.
- Next.js native: installs into the App Router and runs alongside your front end.
- Three APIs, one schema: REST, GraphQL and a server-side Local API generated automatically.
- Own your data: self-hosted on Postgres, MongoDB or SQLite, no required SaaS.
- Open source: MIT-licensed core, with paid cloud and enterprise add-ons when needed.
What You Get
- A TypeScript-first, code-defined schema for collections, fields, access control and hooks
- An auto-generated, customizable React admin panel
- REST, GraphQL and Local APIs produced from the same configuration
- Native Next.js App Router integration in a single project
- Database choice across PostgreSQL, MongoDB and SQLite
- Built-in authentication, access control and field-level permissions
- Localization, versioning and draft or publish workflows
- Full type safety with generated TypeScript types for your content
- Self-hosting freedom, plus an optional paid cloud and enterprise features (SSO, multi-tenancy, visual editing)
Core Areas
Headless CMS
structured content modelled in code and served over REST, GraphQL and Local APIs
Application framework
auth, access control and hooks for building full backends, not just content
Next.js backend
a backend that lives inside the same Next.js project as the front end
Developer experience
type-safe configuration, generated types and a code-first workflow
Self-hosting and data ownership
your database, your infrastructure, no lock-in
Why It Matters
Most headless CMS platforms ask you to model content in their dashboard and then trust their cloud to hold it. That is fast to start with, but it puts your content structure behind a vendor UI, splits your backend from your front end, and ties your data to someone else pricing and uptime.
Payload takes the opposite stance. Because the schema is code, it lives in your repository, moves through your normal review and deployment process, and stays fully under your control. Because it is native to Next.js and self-hostable on a database you choose, your content and your application are one project rather than two systems glued together. For engineering teams building serious web applications, that combination of ownership, type safety and developer experience is exactly why Payload has become a leading open-source choice.
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