Payload

Payload is a headless CMS that installs directly into an existing Next.js app folder, collapsing the usual split between a content backend and the site consuming it. Frontend and backend can share one project, or stay apart when that suits the team better.

Because it runs inside Next.js, React Server Components can query the database directly with no REST or GraphQL round trip, and server components can extend the admin interface itself. Types for your data are generated automatically, and there is no SaaS account in the way.

The feature set is what a content team and a developer both need.

• Access control: granular rules, with hooks available at document and field level for every action Payload performs.
• Authentication: user accounts work out of the box, secured with HTTP only cookies and CSRF protection.
• Versions and drafts: content history and draft states are built in, alongside localization.
• Layout builder: block based composition with a Lexical rich text editor and conditional field logic.
• Admin UI: a React interface that is fully extensible rather than a fixed panel.

Projects start from a create command, and the website template is the suggested entry point since it demonstrates custom rich text blocks, on demand revalidation and live preview with a Tailwind frontend. One click deployments target Vercel with a Neon database and Blob storage, or Cloudflare with Workers, R2 and D1. Ecommerce and other templates, plus official and community plugins, extend it further.