Payload CMS Has a Free API: The TypeScript-First Headless CMS for Developers

What is Payload CMS? Payload is a headless CMS and application framework built entirely in TypeScript. Unlike Strapi or Contentful, Payload generates a full admin panel, REST API, and GraphQL API from your TypeScript config — with zero code generation and full type safety. Why Payload? Free and open-source — MIT license, self-hosted TypeScript-native — config IS your schema, types are automatic Next.js integration — runs inside your Next.js app (v3) Database flexible — PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite Admin panel — beautiful, auto-generated from config Access control — field-level permissions built in Quick Start npx create-payload-app@latest my-cms cd my-cms && npm run dev # Admin panel at http://localhost:3000/admin # API at http://localhost:3000/api Define Collections // collections/Posts.ts import type { CollectionConfig } from 'payload'; export const Posts: CollectionConfig = { slug: 'posts', admin: { useAsTitle: 'title' }, access: { read: () => true, create: ({ req: { user