Headless Drupal with React: the best of both worlds

For years, the choice between a robust CMS and a modern frontend was a compromise. Headless Drupal breaks that false dichotomy: content lives in Drupal, the experience is delivered by React.

In this article we break down the architecture we use on high-traffic projects, from the JSON:API layer to rendering in Next.js.

Decoupling presentation and content lets each layer evolve at its own pace. Editors keep familiar workflows; frontend developers work with the tools they know best.

On top of that, a single content source can feed web, mobile app and kiosks without duplicating effort.

With SSG and ISR in Next.js we serve near-instant pages while Drupal remains the source of truth. The result: sub-second LCP even with huge catalogs.