[HN Gopher] PayloadCMS: Open-Source, Fullstack Next.js Framework
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       PayloadCMS: Open-Source, Fullstack Next.js Framework
        
       Author : stefankuehnel
       Score  : 80 points
       Date   : 2024-10-14 17:55 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (github.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (github.com)
        
       | attah_ wrote:
       | So let me get this straight... PayloadCMS is a framework, for
       | Next.js which is a framework for the React framework.
       | 
       | Yo dawg, i heard you like frameworks!
        
         | _heimdall wrote:
         | "Framework" isn't really the best term for them to actually use
         | to describe Payload. Its basically a tool for NextJS developers
         | to quickly build a custom CMS. I'd think of it more like CMS-
         | in-code than a framework.
        
         | cle wrote:
         | Yes? I think this is great. IMO our goal should be to enable
         | building higher-level abstractions on lower-level ones.
        
           | jstummbillig wrote:
           | Sure, if the lower level is stable. Nothing in this chain is
           | close to stable.
        
             | aduffy wrote:
             | React is arguably quite stable?
        
               | jstummbillig wrote:
               | RSC was marked stable in Mid 2022 and this major change
               | is still in the process of unfolding through the
               | ecosystem, because of course these things take time. And
               | even though react might be the future, I have a hard time
               | understanding a client side framework that currently
               | becomes more of a server side framework being stable.
        
               | zztop44 wrote:
               | By that standard, nothing is stable. New features are
               | added to HTML, the Linux kernel, x86, PHP, etc all the
               | time. In fact, building on top of higher level
               | abstractions can sometime insulate your application from
               | this change too.
        
         | mzronek wrote:
         | A common misconception. React is a library.
         | 
         | These are examples for React frameworks:
         | https://react.dev/learn/start-a-new-react-project#production...
         | 
         | Next.js is a React framework.
         | 
         | If Payload is a framework or not is debatable. I think it's
         | more like a data layer around a database for a any js app and
         | an Admin Panel (that uses Next.js now). It might be called a
         | framework for your own Headless CMS, because it is code first.
         | So you basically code the panel and the data structure
         | yourself.
        
           | vasergen wrote:
           | > React is a library
           | 
           | Can a library have compiler?)
        
             | robertlagrant wrote:
             | That's an optional step for JSX cross-compilation. It's a
             | language plugin; nothing really to do with frameworks or
             | libraries.
        
           | flockonus wrote:
           | React started as a library.. at this point it has server side
           | components, and a world of plugins.
           | 
           | As for anything that has patterns of building with, will
           | argue it's a framework.
        
             | math_dandy wrote:
             | React is a FEBEFUIRT - a FrontEnd/BackEnd-Fluid UI RunTime.
        
           | meiraleal wrote:
           | React was a library before hooks. Now it is a framework and
           | decides when your code runs, not you. And now it is a
           | terrible framework with server components.
        
         | mrexroad wrote:
         | s/framework/abstraction/g
         | 
         | With that said, yep, I do like robust/stable and purposeful
         | abstractions.
        
       | sroussey wrote:
       | Would have been nice to post when they released v3 as they are
       | close.
        
         | thawab wrote:
         | i got excited seeing the post, because i thought v3 was
         | released. For anyone who want's to know more about v3 here is a
         | link: https://payloadcms.com/blog/30-beta-install-payload-into-
         | any...
        
       | adhamsalama wrote:
       | So it's a full stack framework for a full stack framework?
       | Right...
        
       | desireco42 wrote:
       | They do mention WP (Word Press)... I am confused. What exactly
       | this does?
       | 
       | I get it takes care of content and they mention Stripe, so that
       | is good. But is this WP compatible layer or this is accidental
       | use of shorthand for something else?
       | 
       | It is more like those templates that people use to jumpstart
       | sites, I think this can be very useful.
       | 
       | I don't want to sound too complainy over the free code you can
       | get and examine yourself, maybe adding thumbnails of 3 templates
       | would be fantastic.
       | 
       | Overall some clarity would be great, maybe developer should talk
       | to someone outside his little circle and explain and see what
       | they should include.
        
         | mzronek wrote:
         | They seem to recently position themselves as a Wordpress
         | alternative. There is a blog post about migration from
         | Wordpress to Payload including code:
         | https://payloadcms.com/blog/how-to-migrate-from-wordpress-to...
         | 
         | No, it's a Headless CMS, so no frontend themes and templates.
         | They have an official demo page including a frontend, that you
         | can base your work on: https://github.com/payloadcms/public-
         | demo
         | 
         | If you are looking for a Wordpress-clickety click solution with
         | templates, Payload is not a candidate.
        
           | throwaway83yqr wrote:
           | I think any solution that does not use PHP will not replace
           | WordPress for most users, unless WP itself stagnates.
           | "Anyone" can install Word press on a cheap shared hosting
           | device and get started. That's why I think a real WP
           | alternative will need to be based on PHP (Laravel?)
        
       | marpstar wrote:
       | I've been using Payload for 18 months. They're only recently
       | (with the upcoming v3 release) really piggy-backing on Next.js'
       | server and routing. Before that, it was "just" a really nice
       | headless CMS built on Node/TypeScript.
       | 
       | This was obviously posted in the wake of the WordPress drama, but
       | I landed on Payload while feeling stagnant after 10+ years
       | building on WordPress. Everything else I was doing was 100%
       | TypeScript, my entire professional career had been working with
       | metadata driven data structure, I felt right at home with
       | Payload.
       | 
       | It's just enough structure (full admin area, API, GraphQL) to
       | make scaffolding a basic site (with authentication) quite easy. I
       | had built an app using Next 13 before Payload began integrating
       | directly and using the local API (versus making HTTP calls to a
       | server endpoint) is very clean. It feels like WordPress (i.e.
       | you're editing "client" code on the "server") but with a LOT less
       | cruft.
       | 
       | Because it's headless, anything goes on the front end. One big
       | reason that WP got so big was because of the theming
       | capabilities. Payload has extensibility by way of plugins, but
       | it's (obviously...) not as robust as what's available in the WP
       | plugin repo. It'll be interesting to see how these alternatives
       | fare against the more prescriptive tools like Ghost (which does
       | support theming, but does not support custom fields in any way,
       | shape, or form).
       | 
       | That being said, I'm all in on Payload moving forward. If you're
       | curious, go straight to the v3 beta -- it's very close to release
       | and plenty stable, in my opinion. Happy to answer questions.
       | 
       | (Not affiliated with Payload, just a big admirer of their work)
        
         | synergy20 wrote:
         | how does it compare to Django as far as battery-included goes
        
       | nerveband wrote:
       | The pitch alone on PayloadCMS shows that this is still a
       | developer-focused CMS. Just look at the difference between the
       | github page, the Payload website, and wordpress.org's landing.
       | This is not purely a marketing difference but a strategic
       | conversation.
       | 
       | I'm all about transitioning CMSes and yet WordPress has got the
       | turnkey part of their open-source platform clear and easy to
       | understand. You can self-host or choose a provider. Payload
       | doesn't make that clear, it's either too dev-centric for running
       | or wants you to "Schedule a Demo" (which is a way to capture
       | enterprise dollars).
       | 
       | What about more consumer-friendly pitches and deployments? Any
       | recommendations on that?
        
       | dirtbag__dad wrote:
       | I tried to switch to this from keystonejs. Keystone's
       | documentation is painfully inconsistent with its library. I have
       | lost entire days over it. but "it works."
       | 
       | Was expecting more with payload but seems to be another buggy
       | experience but with better UI.
       | 
       | Eagerly waiting for a player in this space that isn't just
       | developer-first but also developer-friendly.
        
         | jobsdone wrote:
         | What bugs did you run into? This sentiment is not shared by the
         | Payload community that I've seen.
        
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       (page generated 2024-10-14 23:00 UTC)