Payload is a TypeScript-first headless CMS and application framework with 32K+ stars. Config-as-code in TypeScript provides full type safety. Collections define data models, fields, access control, hooks, and admin UI.
Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs. Customizable React admin panel with live preview, draft/publish, version history, block-based editor, and localization.
Built on Next.js 15 with PostgreSQL (Drizzle ORM) or MongoDB. Self-hostable anywhere — Vercel, Railway, Docker, VPS.
No vendor lock-in, no per-seat pricing, complete data ownership. Payload Cloud available for managed hosting.