Payload

Created May 26, 2026 · 1 min read · 208 words

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Backend framework with an admin panel for content administration (headless CMS)
Open source (MIT license)
Owned by Figma
Config-based: Content types and collections defined in TypeScript code only (no adding fields/schemas via the UI, that then would have to be stored in the database -> type safety for the frontend developer)
- payload.config.ts
Creates migrations for sqlite, PostgreSQL or MongoDB
Based on Next.js (version 16 as of 2026-05-26)
Suitable to run in the /app directory of another Next.js app (exposes a local API)
- Types generated in payload-types.ts for import elsewhere
But also exposes REST and GraphQL APIs for other frameworks
Suitable for serverless hosting (e.g. Vercel, Cloudflare)
Automatically creates copies of uploaded images with defined sizes (e.g. thumbnail, hero image, etc.)
- Frontend users can manually crop and set hotspots
Supports drafts and automatic publish/unpublish at points in the future
Supports autosave
Other content can be embedded in the rich text editor for DRYness, including specific attributes (e.g. the price of a specific car in the middle of an article about it)
Access control (CRUD) can be based on the user and/or the content’s attributes (e.g. whether an item is currently published)
Hooks extend functionality, e.g. the afterRead hook can add calculated properties

pnpx create-payload-app@latest