How to Build a Headless CMS with Laravel: A Complete Guide

Traditional content management systems (CMS) often tie content to a specific front-end, limiting how developers can present content across multiple platforms. This is where headless CMS comes in.

The demand for headless and API‑first CMS platforms is truly on the rise: by 2025 the global headless CMS software market is forecast to grow from about USD 973.8 million to USD 7,113.6 million by 2035 implying a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~22.6%. Future Market Insights Meanwhile, research shows that 69% of users of headless CMS report improved time‑to‑market and productivity, and 58% note better site performance compared with legacy CMS solutions.

A headless CMS decouples the back-end (content storage and management) from the front-end (user interface), allowing content to be delivered via APIs to websites, mobile apps, or IoT devices. Laravel, with its elegant syntax and powerful features, is an ideal framework to build a headless CMS.

In this guide, we will walk you through how to build a headless CMS using Laravel, step by step, including practical examples and best practices.

What is a Headless CMS?

A headless CMS is a backend-only content management system that delivers content via APIs, without being tied to a specific front-end. Unlike traditional CMS platforms like WordPress, a headless CMS allows developers to choose any front-end technology, such as React, Vue, or Angular, and consume content via REST or GraphQL APIs.

Benefits of Headless CMS:

• Multi-channel content delivery
• Faster performance
• Flexibility in front-end frameworks
• Better scalability

Want to build a high-performance headless CMS with Laravel?
Let’s Talk

Why Use Laravel for a Headless CMS?

Laravel is a modern PHP framework that simplifies back-end development with elegant syntax and robust features. Here’s why Laravel is perfect for building a headless CMS:

Feature / Benefit	Why It Matters	How Laravel Helps
Powerful API Support	Essential for delivering content across multiple platforms	Built-in tools for RESTful APIs, resources, and routing
Eloquent ORM	Faster, cleaner database management	Simplifies queries, relationships, and data handling
Authentication & Security	Protects API endpoints and user access	Sanctum, Passport, middleware, encryption
Modular Architecture	Easier to scale and maintain	Supports clean folder structure and modular development
Rich Ecosystem & Packages	Speeds up development	Thousands of packages for media, slugs, roles, versioning
High Performance & Caching	Improves API response time	Built-in caching, queues, and optimization commands
Large Community Support	Faster problem-solving and learning	Active ecosystem, docs, forums, tutorials

Step 1: Setting Up Laravel

Before starting, ensure you have PHP (>= 8), Composer, and MySQL installed.

1. Create a new Laravel project:

composer create-project laravel/laravel laravel-headless-cms

2. Navigate to the project directory:

cd laravel-headless-cms

3. Run the Laravel development server:

php artisan serve

Your Laravel app is now running at http://127.0.0.1:8000.

Step 2: Database Configuration

Laravel uses .env file to configure the database. Update it with your database credentials:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=headless_cms
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=

Run migration to create default tables:

php artisan migrate

Step 3: Creating Models and Migrations

Let’s create models for Posts and Categories:

php artisan make:model Post -m
php artisan make:model Category -m

Edit the migration files:

Posts Migration Example:

Schema::create('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->string('title');
    $table->text('content');
    $table->foreignId('category_id')->constrained();
    $table->timestamps();
});

Categories Migration Example:

Schema::create('categories', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->string('name');
    $table->timestamps();
});

Run the migrations:

php artisan migrate

Step 4: Setting Up API Routes

Laravel makes API routing simple. Open routes/api.php and define routes:

Route::apiResource('posts', PostController::class);
Route::apiResource('categories', CategoryController::class);

This automatically creates routes for CRUD operations.

Step 5: Building Controllers

Create controllers for handling API requests:

php artisan make:controller PostController --api
php artisan make:controller CategoryController --api

Example: PostController

public function index() {
    return Post::with('category')->get();
}

public function store(Request $request) {
    $request->validate([
        'title' => 'required|string',
        'content' => 'required',
        'category_id' => 'required|exists:categories,id'
    ]);

    $post = Post::create($request->all());
    return response()->json($post, 201);
}

Step 6: Implementing Authentication

Secure your API with Laravel Sanctum:

1. Install Sanctum:

composer require laravel/sanctum
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Sanctum\SanctumServiceProvider"
php artisan migrate

2. Add middleware in api.php:

Route::middleware('auth:sanctum')->group(function () {
    Route::apiResource('posts', PostController::class);
});

3. Generate token for API access:

$user->createToken('api-token')->plainTextToken;

Step 7: Adding Content Management Features

Enhance your CMS with:

• Media Uploads: Use spatie/laravel-medialibrary
• Slug Generation: Use cviebrock/eloquent-sluggable
• Versioning: Use venturecraft/revisionable

These packages help you create a full-featured CMS quickly.

Step 8: Testing Your API

Use tools like Postman or Insomnia to test your API endpoints:

• GET /api/posts – List all posts
• POST /api/posts – Create a new post
• PUT /api/posts/{id} – Update a post
• DELETE /api/posts/{id} – Delete a post

Check authentication, validation, and relationships.

Step 9: Connecting Front-End

Now that the back-end API is ready, connect your front-end:

• React Example: Fetch posts with Axios

axios.get('http://localhost:8000/api/posts')
  .then(response => setPosts(response.data))
  .catch(error => console.log(error));

• Vue Example: Use fetch() or Axios to consume the API and display content.

The beauty of a headless CMS is that you can deliver content anywhere – web, mobile, or even IoT apps.

Step 10: Best Practices

Building a headless CMS with Laravel becomes far more efficient and scalable when you follow proven development best practices. These help you maintain clean code, secure your APIs, and optimize overall performance.

1. Use Resource Classes: Standardize API responses with Laravel Resource.
2. Implement Rate Limiting: Protect your API from abuse.
3. Use API Versioning: Plan for future updates without breaking existing apps.
4. Enable Caching: Improve API response time with Laravel Cache.
5. Write Tests: Ensure API functionality with PHPUnit.

Conclusion

Building a headless CMS with Laravel gives you the power to create flexible, scalable, and API-driven digital experiences that work across any platform web, mobile, or emerging technologies. By decoupling the backend from the frontend, you gain full control over content delivery, system performance, and future expansions.

And if you need professional help developing custom APIs or automation systems, you can explore our full range of solutions directly on Wavenest.

Laravel’s strong ecosystem, clean architecture, built-in API tools, and authentication features make it one of the best frameworks for building a modern headless CMS. Whether you’re developing for a startup or scaling a large enterprise platform, adopting a headless architecture positions your product for long-term growth and innovation. If you’d like expert guidance or want to discuss your project, feel free to contact us anytime.

Build smarter. Scale faster. Go headless with Laravel.