Payload · Consulting, development & operations
Content model as code.
Operations in your hands.
We develop and operate Payload platforms: a headless CMS that lives as code in your Next.js application. The content model, permissions, frontend and operations remain in your hands.
Headless CMS in your own application
Payload is embedded in the Next.js application rather than rented as a service. The content model, access rules and editorial interface are TypeScript in your own repository, versioned, tested and deployed with the application.
The core is licensed under MIT. Database options include PostgreSQL, MongoDB and SQLite; content is delivered through REST, GraphQL and a local API. Editors see changes in a live preview of the actual frontend.
When Payload fits, and when it does not
Payload is strong where data sovereignty, self-hosting and cost control matter: no licence fees, no volume limits, a free choice of infrastructure and storage, and a very granular permissions model at no extra cost.
It does not include ready-made approval workflows, editorial comments, single sign-on in the core or AI tools for editors; these require an extension, an enterprise package or custom development. If you expect these features from the product, Storyblok or Contentful is often a better fit. A CMS selection shows which side of the equation weighs more for you.
Development and operations from one provider
We model content, permissions and languages, build the frontend in Next.js and integrate search, forms and third-party systems. Containerised operations run on the infrastructure that suits you: your own servers, STACKIT, Azure or our hosting. We plan backups, monitoring and version upgrades from the start.
Payload has been part of Figma since 2025; the core remains open source under the MIT licence. Self-hosting is the standard approach, and that is exactly what we are set up for.
