[!IMPORTANT]
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Payload is the first-ever Next.js native CMS that can install directly in your existing /app folder. It's the start of a new era for headless CMS.
Benefits over a regular CMS
- It's both an app framework & headless CMS
- Deploy anywhere, including serverless on Vercel for free
- Combine your front+backend in the same
/app folder if you want
- Don't sign up for yet another SaaS - Payload is open source
- Query your database in React Server Components
- Both admin and backend are 100% extensible
- No vendor lock-in
- Never touch ancient WP code again
- Build faster, never hit a roadblock
Quickstart
Before beginning to work with Payload, make sure you have all of the required software.
pnpx create-payload-app@latest
If you're new to Payload, you should start with the website template (pnpx create-payload-app@latest -t website). It shows how to do everything - including custom Rich Text blocks, on-demand revalidation, live preview, and more. It comes with a frontend built with Tailwind all in one /app folder.
One-click deployment options
You can deploy Payload serverlessly in one-click via Vercel and Cloudflare—giving everything you need without the hassle of the plumbing.
Deploy on Cloudflare
Fully self-contained — one click to deploy Payload with Workers, R2 for uploads, and D1 for a globally replicated database.
Deploy on Vercel
All-in-one on Vercel — one click to deploy Payload with a Next.js front end, Neon database, and Vercel Blob for media storage.
One-click templates
Jumpstart your next project with a ready-to-go template. These are production-ready, end-to-end solutions designed to get you to market fast. Build any kind of website, ecommerce store, blog, or portfolio — complete with a modern front end built using React Server Components and Tailwind.
We're constantly adding more templates to our Templates Directory.
If you maintain your own, add the payload-template topic to your GitHub repo so others can discover it.
🔗 Explore more:
✨ Payload Features