Strapi

Strapi is an open-source headless content management system that lets you build custom APIs and admin interfaces without boilerplate. It runs entirely in Node.js and uses a plugin-based architecture, so you can add features like SEO, email, or media optimization by dropping in modules. The admin panel is generated automatically from your content model, and you can host it on your own servers using any database that Knex supports.

It ships with a REST and GraphQL API out of the box, supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite databases, and allows you to define content types through the admin UI or programmatically. Strapi was created by the company Strapi Solutions in 2015 and has become one of the most popular headless CMS projects on GitHub with over 65,000 stars. It handles user authentication and role-based access natively, making it easy to give editors, writers, or external partners different levels of control.

The software is licensed under the MIT open source license, which means you can use it for free in any project, commercial or personal. Strapi is especially popular among frontend developers who want a straightforward backend for static sites, SPAs, or mobile apps. The official documentation, plugin marketplace, and active community provide plenty of support for getting started.