# Strapi — Leading Open Source Headless CMS

> Strapi is the most popular open-source headless CMS with 71K+ stars. Visual content-type builder, REST & GraphQL APIs, RBAC, and extensive plugin marketplace.

## Install

Save the content below to `.claude/skills/` or append to your `CLAUDE.md`:

## Quick Use

```bash
npx create-strapi@latest my-project
cd my-project
npm run develop
```

Open `http://localhost:1337/admin` — register your admin account and start building content types.

## Intro

**Strapi** is the leading open-source headless CMS, built with Node.js and fully customizable with JavaScript/TypeScript. It provides a visual content-type builder, auto-generated REST & GraphQL APIs, role-based access control, and a rich plugin marketplace — making it the go-to choice for developers building content-driven applications.

With 71.8K+ GitHub stars, Strapi is by far the most popular open-source headless CMS, powering thousands of production applications from personal blogs to enterprise content platforms.

## What Strapi Does

Strapi provides a complete content management solution:

- **Content-Type Builder**: Visual interface to define content models with fields, relations, and components
- **Auto-generated APIs**: REST and GraphQL APIs created automatically from your content types
- **Media Library**: Upload, organize, and transform images and files with built-in asset management
- **Authentication & RBAC**: User management with role-based permissions at field and content-type level
- **Internationalization (i18n)**: Built-in multi-language content management
- **Content Versioning**: Draft/publish workflow with content history
- **Marketplace**: 100+ community plugins for SEO, email, search, and more
- **Customization**: Extend with custom controllers, services, middlewares, and policies

## Architecture

```
┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│  Your App    │────▶│  Strapi      │────▶│  SQLite /    │
│  (Next.js /  │     │  Server      │     │  PostgreSQL /│
│  Nuxt / etc) │     │  (Koa.js)    │     │  MySQL       │
└──────────────┘     └──────┬───────┘     └──────────────┘
                            │
                     ┌──────┴───────┐
                     │  Admin Panel │
                     │  (React)     │
                     └──────────────┘
```

## Getting Started

### Create a Project

```bash
npx create-strapi@latest my-project
# Choose database: SQLite (default), PostgreSQL, or MySQL
# Choose TypeScript or JavaScript
```

### Content Types via UI

The Content-Type Builder lets you visually create:
- **Collection Types**: Repeatable content (Articles, Products, Users)
- **Single Types**: Unique content (Homepage, Settings, About Page)
- **Components**: Reusable field groups (SEO, Address, Social Links)

### Content Types via Code

```typescript
// src/api/article/content-types/article/schema.json
{
  "kind": "collectionType",
  "collectionName": "articles",
  "info": {
    "singularName": "article",
    "pluralName": "articles",
    "displayName": "Article"
  },
  "attributes": {
    "title": {
      "type": "string",
      "required": true
    },
    "content": {
      "type": "richtext"
    },
    "slug": {
      "type": "uid",
      "targetField": "title"
    },
    "cover": {
      "type": "media",
      "allowedTypes": ["images"]
    },
    "category": {
      "type": "relation",
      "relation": "manyToOne",
      "target": "api::category.category"
    },
    "author": {
      "type": "relation",
      "relation": "manyToOne",
      "target": "plugin::users-permissions.user"
    }
  }
}
```

## API Usage

### REST API

```bash
# List articles
curl http://localhost:1337/api/articles?populate=*

# Get single article
curl http://localhost:1337/api/articles/1?populate=cover,category

# Create article (authenticated)
curl -X POST http://localhost:1337/api/articles 
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_JWT" 
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" 
  -d '{"data": {"title": "My Post", "content": "Hello World"}}'

# Filter and sort
curl "http://localhost:1337/api/articles?filters[category][name][$eq]=tech&sort=publishedAt:desc&pagination[limit]=10"
```

### GraphQL API

```graphql
query {
  articles(
    filters: { category: { name: { eq: "tech" } } }
    sort: "publishedAt:desc"
    pagination: { limit: 10 }
  ) {
    data {
      id
      attributes {
        title
        content
        slug
        cover {
          data {
            attributes {
              url
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## Self-Hosting

### Docker Compose

```yaml
services:
  strapi:
    image: strapi/strapi:latest
    ports:
      - "1337:1337"
    environment:
      DATABASE_CLIENT: postgres
      DATABASE_HOST: postgres
      DATABASE_PORT: 5432
      DATABASE_NAME: strapi
      DATABASE_USERNAME: strapi
      DATABASE_PASSWORD: strapi
      JWT_SECRET: your-jwt-secret
      ADMIN_JWT_SECRET: your-admin-jwt-secret
      APP_KEYS: key1,key2,key3,key4
    depends_on:
      - postgres
    volumes:
      - strapi-data:/opt/app

  postgres:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: strapi
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: strapi
      POSTGRES_DB: strapi
    volumes:
      - pg-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  strapi-data:
  pg-data:
```

## Strapi vs Alternatives

| Feature | Strapi | Payload | Directus | Contentful |
|---------|--------|---------|----------|------------|
| Open Source | Yes | Yes (MIT) | Yes | No |
| GitHub Stars | 71.8K | 41.7K | 34.7K | N/A |
| Config | GUI + code | Code-first | GUI | GUI |
| Language | JavaScript/TS | TypeScript | JavaScript | N/A |
| Database | SQLite/PG/MySQL | MongoDB/PG | Any SQL | Hosted |
| Plugin marketplace | 100+ | Growing | Extensions | Apps |
| Community | Very large | Growing fast | Large | Large |

## FAQ

**Q: Is Strapi suitable for large enterprise projects?**
A: Yes. Strapi v5 strengthens enterprise features including audit logs, SSO, approval flows, and content publishing workflows. Many enterprises run Strapi in production.

**Q: What's different between Strapi v5 and v4?**
A: v5 improves the API response format (flatter), introduces the Document Service API, improves TypeScript support, and optimizes database query performance. Migrating from v4 requires updating API call patterns.

**Q: Does the content editor support Markdown?**
A: The default rich text editor is WYSIWYG. Community plugins can swap it for a Markdown editor, or you can use the CKEditor 5 plugin for a more powerful editing experience.

## Source & Thanks

- GitHub: [strapi/strapi](https://github.com/strapi/strapi) — 71.8K+ ⭐
- Website: [strapi.io](https://strapi.io)

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/strapi-leading-open-source-headless-cms-f454ef61
Author: Script Depot