Service 02
Modern headless sites that are fast and secure
Fast, modern websites with a CMS your editors will enjoy using.
Overview
Not every site needs Drupal
For marketing sites and content-led projects we build headless websites using Sanity or Payload as the CMS, with a fast modern front end. Pages load quickly, hosting is simpler and there's far less to patch and maintain.
Your editors get a clean, modern editing experience without the overhead of running a web application on the front end. We can also put a headless front end on an existing Drupal site, so you get the speed without a full rebuild.
Headless CMS
What you get
Secure sites with less patching
Because your website is just webpages, there is no application (Drupal, Wordpress etc) to keep patched.
Sanity and Payload builds
Marketing and content-led sites with Sanity or Payload as the CMS.
Headless front ends for Drupal
A fast new front end on your existing Drupal site, without a full rebuild.
Simpler, cheaper hosting
Fast pages, simpler hosting and far less to patch and maintain.
In more detail
Headless just means the content management system and the website's frontend are separate. Your editors get a clean, focused interface for managing content. Your frontend gets built exactly how you (or your design agency) want it, without being tied to a CMS's built-in templating. The result is usually a faster site, a better editing experience, and more flexibility to change your frontend later without touching your content.
It's not the right fit for every project. Big, complex, workflow-heavy sites are often still better served by Drupal. But for content-led marketing sites, brochureware with a lot of editorial output, or anything where speed and a slick editing experience matter most, headless is worth a serious look.
Which platform is right for you?
Sanity CMS Development
Sanity is built for teams who want real-time collaboration, a highly structured content model, and an editing experience that feels closer to a modern app than a traditional CMS. We typically pair it with Astro for fast, content-focused frontends, though the frontend can be built in whatever framework suits your project.
Payload CMS Development
Payload is a good fit if you want a self-hosted, TypeScript-native CMS with full control over your data and infrastructure, no vendor lock-in, no third-party hosting dependency. Like Sanity, it works with any frontend framework, and we typically pair it with Astro for content-heavy sites.
Already have a site and thinking about moving to a modern headless setup? We can help you plan that migration too.
Why ComputerMinds?
We're not a headless-only shop learning as we go. We're an established UK agency with two decades of CMS experience, applying that same rigour, the same honest communication, and the same "no outsourcing, ever" approach to modern headless builds. You'll work directly with the developer doing the work, based in our Bristol or Coventry offices.
Not sure which way to go?
Drupal, Sanity, or Payload, the right answer depends on your project, your team, and your content. Get in touch and let's talk it through, no sales pitch, just an honest steer on what fits.
Headless Drupal
Combine Drupal's CMS and application building power with the speed of a Javascript front end to get the best of both worlds.
All the major tech is supported, and there are community-supported modules and distributions available to support various aspects of the build.
React, Vue, Angular, Svelte... it doesn't matter!
As of right now, they're all performant and easy to build with. If you're not already tied to a front end technology decision, do some research on how the options might differently meet your business needs, and choose based on that.
We're also happy to help pick apart your use case and provide some guidance.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
It means the CMS your editors use and the website your visitors see are two separate things. The CMS stores and manages the content; the front end fetches it and turns it into fast web pages. Because they're separate, each can be built, hosted and changed without disturbing the other.
Headless suits content-led sites: marketing sites, brochure sites and anything with a lot of editorial output, where speed and a pleasant editing experience matter most.
Large sites with complex workflows, user accounts, permissions or lots of integrations are often still better served by Drupal. We build both, so we'll give you an honest steer either way.
Sanity is a hosted service with real-time collaboration and a polished editing app, so there's no CMS server for you to run. Payload is open source and self-hosted, which suits organisations that want full control over their data and infrastructure.
Both are excellent for editors and both work with any front end. If you're unsure, talk it through with us.
Usually the opposite. We shape the editing interface around your content, so editors see the fields they need and nothing else. Changes still go live from the CMS without a developer being involved.
Yes. Drupal stays as the CMS, with all its content, workflows and integrations, and we build a fast new front end that reads from it. You get the speed of a modern front end without the cost of a full rebuild.
Yes. We script the migration so pages, articles, images and authors come across cleanly, and we redirect old URLs so you keep your search rankings. We've been migrating sites for years, whether from Drupal, WordPress or something else.
For most content sites, yes. Visitors are served pre-built pages rather than talking to a CMS, so there's far less exposed to attack and no public application to keep patched. The CMS itself sits behind a login, separate from the site.
No. We build with well-known, widely used tools, and the code and content are yours. Any competent developer who knows those tools can pick the site up.
Our services
Everything else we do
Let's talk
Thinking about going headless?
You'll talk to a developer, not a salesperson.