payload

Overview

Payload is a Next.js native headless CMS and application framework that installs directly into your existing /app folder. Unlike traditional SaaS CMS platforms, Payload is fully open-source and self-hostable, letting you combine your frontend and backend in one codebase. It deploys serverlessly on Vercel and Cloudflare with one-click templates, and supports querying the database directly in React Server Components.

Key Features

• Next.js Native Architecture: Lives inside your /app folder, letting you query the database in Server Components, extend the admin UI with your own React components, and ship everything as one deployment
• Full Content Management: Includes auth with HTTP-only cookies and CSRF protection, document versioning and drafts, localization, a block-based layout builder, the Lexical rich text editor, conditional field logic, and granular access control
• One-Click Deployment: Deploy instantly on Vercel (with Neon database and Vercel Blob) or Cloudflare (with Workers, R2, and D1), plus production-ready templates for websites, ecommerce stores, blogs, and portfolios
• Extensibility: 100% customizable admin panel built with React, document and field-level hooks for every action, and a plugin ecosystem with both official and community packages

Who is this for?

• Next.js developers who want a CMS that lives in their codebase rather than a separate SaaS, with full TypeScript support and no vendor lock-in
• Teams building content-heavy applications (websites, ecommerce, blogs) who need production-ready templates with a modern React frontend and customizable admin
• Developers migrating away from WordPress or other legacy CMS platforms who want an open-source, serverless-compatible alternative with first-class developer experience