The Benefits of Syncing Content from Headless CMS
Introducing the Agility Sync SDK
When transitioning to a headless CMS or considering using more API-driven systems, perhaps in a composable architecture, you may have concerns regarding the following:
- Content accessibility via APIs
- Network connectivity
- Server communication
- Latency between network requests
In some scenarios, customers may not want ANY server-server communication at all to happen on the web server.
The Reason Doesn't Matter; The Concerns Do
To mitigate this, Agility CMS has implemented a concept called "sync."
The Agility Sync SDK allows customers to download all their content to a local file system or persist it using databases, Redis cache, or other storage systems. This process is also supported programmatically in code and through DevOps pipelines with our CLI. Users can pull down content, including assets, to a local file system via the command line.
Content Retrieval Simplified
Users can use the Sync SDK's content retrieval methods to access their locally stored website content. This setup enables a website to function independently from content APIs while still allowing updates through webhooks.
After the initial content "pull" has been completed, subsequent syncs triggered by webhooks are extremely fast – they only pull down a "delta." This approach ensures quick response times for content retrieval in both preview and published modes.
What’s more, this approach closely mirrors the Agility CMS REST SDK. Move from using the REST API to the Sync API with minimal effort.
One More Strategy
Another effective strategy involves using frameworks such as Next.js or Astro to perform static exports of websites. This method exports the entire website to a folder, allowing it to be served as static files from a web server.
Consequently, the site remains operational without calling home to an API, ensuring continuous availability even if content APIs become inaccessible. This approach guarantees that the website will remain secure and operational, providing a reliable solution for content delivery.
About the Author
Joel is CTO at Agility. His first job, though, is as a father to 2 amazing humans.
Joining Agility in 2005, he has over 20 years of experience in software development and product management. He embraced cloud technology as a groundbreaking concept over a decade ago, and he continues to help customers adopt new technology with hybrid frameworks and the Jamstack. He holds a degree from The University of Guelph in English and Computer Science. He's led Agility CMS to many awards and accolades during his tenure such as being named the Best Cloud CMS by CMS Critic, as a leader on G2.com for Headless CMS, and a leader in Customer Experience on Gartner Peer Insights.
As CTO, Joel oversees the Product team, as well as working closely with the Growth and Customer Success teams. When he's not kicking butt with Agility, Joel coaches high-school football and directs musical theatre. Learn more about Joel HERE.
