Part 34: Building a Shop with Strapi: An Introduction to Headless CMS

[Pages] Next Shop: Setup

As we embark on the journey to develop our shop website, leveraging a Headless CMS as our backend API is a strategic choice. This approach allows us to manage content efficiently and focus on building a compelling frontend experience. In this post, we'll explore setting up a Strapi project, which will serve as our Headless CMS.

Why Strapi?

Strapi stands out as a powerful, open-source Headless CMS. It provides the flexibility to manage data and automate the creation of APIs. This means we can seamlessly integrate it with our frontend application, ensuring a smooth flow of data from backend to frontend.

Setting Up a Strapi Project

To get started with Strapi, we initiate a new project using the create-strapi-app tool. This tool helps scaffold a Strapi application quickly, giving us a solid foundation to build upon. Once the project is created, we can explore its structure and understand how Strapi organizes its components.

Project Structure Overview

Opening the project in a code editor reveals several key files and folders. The package.json file indicates that this is a JavaScript project managed with npm. Within the project, various Strapi packages are included as dependencies, which handle different functionalities of the CMS.

Running the Strapi Server

Launching the server in development mode allows us to interact with the application locally. The server typically runs on port 1337, and the first step involves setting up an administrator account. This admin account will have access to the backend panel, where we can manage our data and settings.

Managing Data with Strapi

Strapi organizes data into "Collection Types," which can be thought of as tables in a traditional database. By default, Strapi includes a "Users" collection, essential for managing user accounts.

Adding Users

In the admin panel, we can add new users, who will serve as customers for our shop. These users differ from the admin account; they are the ones who will interact with the frontend of our website.

Creating Custom Collection Types

One of the strengths of Strapi is its ability to let us define custom data structures. For our shop, we might want to create a "Products" collection type. This allows us to manage product details such as title, description, and price, essential for our shop's functionality.

Defining Fields

When creating a new collection type, we can specify various fields:

• Text Fields: For product titles and descriptions.

• Number Fields: For product pricing, where we can specify the number type, such as decimal for prices.

By configuring these fields, Strapi provides a structured way to manage product data, which is crucial for displaying accurate information on our shop.

Exposing Data via REST API

One of the main advantages of using Strapi is its automatic API generation. Once our data types are set up, Strapi exposes them through a REST API, which our frontend can call to retrieve data.

Configuring Permissions

To ensure security and control over data access, Strapi allows us to configure permissions for different roles. For instance, the "Public" role can be set to only read data, preventing unauthorized modifications.

Testing API Endpoints

Using tools like a REST client, we can test these endpoints to see how data is retrieved and displayed. This step is vital in ensuring our frontend can effectively communicate with the backend.

Conclusion

Strapi offers a robust solution for managing content in a Headless CMS format. By leveraging its capabilities, we can efficiently handle data management for our shop while focusing on creating a seamless user experience on the frontend. As we continue developing our shop, Strapi's flexibility and ease of use will be invaluable assets in our tech stack. Stay tuned for more as we integrate this setup with our frontend application.