Headless WordPress & Next.js: Modern Web Performance

A headless CMS separates content management (backend) from how it's displayed (frontend). You edit and store content in an admin interface, then retrieve it via an API (JSON) so you can build any kind of frontend (e.g., React, Vue) without being tied to server-rendered templates.

• Familiar interface: You keep WordPress's admin UI and plugin ecosystem.
• Content via API: Instead of using PHP templates, you fetch posts/pages over the REST API (or GraphQL with WPGraphQL).
• Flexible frontend: You build a separate frontend (Next.js, Gatsby, etc.) that requests JSON from WordPress and renders it however you like.

• Backup & Version control: Store your frontend code (e.g., Next.js) in a GitHub repo.
• Collaboration: Branching, pull requests, code reviews—everything's managed in Git.
• CI/CD integration: When you push changes, GitHub can trigger automated builds or deployments (especially when connected to Vercel).

• Built by the makers of Next.js - Serverless at its finest!
• Automatic deployments: Connect your GitHub repo to Vercel. Every push to a branch (e.g., main) triggers a build and deploy.
• Edge network: Static assets and serverless functions run on Vercel's CDN.
• Zero-config SSL: HTTPS is enabled by default for both Vercel subdomains and custom domains.

• Static + dynamic: ISR lets Next.js generate pages at build time (static) but also regenerate individual pages after deployment.
• Revalidate interval: In getStaticProps, you set revalidate (e.g., 60 seconds). If a page is older than that, Next.js regenerates it in the background when someone requests it.
• Benefits: You get fast, static pages (good for SEO and performance) while still showing updated content after edits in your headless CMS.

CI/CD stands for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment. In website development, it automates building, testing, and launching updates—so sites improve faster with fewer errors.

• CI: Automatically tests and integrates website code with every update.
• CD: Pushes approved changes to staging or live environments quickly.
• Speeds up deployment of new features, designs, and fixes.
• Reduces bugs and downtime by catching issues early.
• Makes web updates more consistent, reliable, and stress-free.

• Static-generated HTML: Pages are pre-built at deploy time (or via ISR), so users receive ready-to-render HTML from the CDN without waiting for server processing.
• Next.js <Image> optimization: Images are automatically served in modern formats (WebP/AVIF), resized per device, and cached—reducing load times and bandwidth.
• Serverless CDN edge network: Platforms like Vercel distribute your site across global edge locations. Requests are routed to the nearest edge server, yielding low latency (often sub-100 ms TTFB).
• Built for modern expectations: Combining static pages, optimized assets, and edge caching means fast page loads, lightening fast, and smooth user experiences, even under high traffic.

• App-like speed: Fetches only the data needed and updates the view instantly—no full-page reloads, just lightning-fast transitions.
• SEO-friendly: Frameworks like Next.js pre-render pages (SSG/ISR), so search engines see complete HTML and index your content just like a traditional site.
• Seamless analytics: Track "virtual pageviews" by hooking into your router (e.g., Next.js's routeChangeComplete), so Google Analytics sees every navigation without page reloads.
• Global edge delivery: Deployed on Vercel, static assets live on a worldwide CDN. Visitors get sub-100 ms response times from the nearest edge server.
• Automatic media optimization:: Next.js's <Image> serves the right format (WebP/AVIF) and size per device, minimizing bandwidth and maximizing load speed.

In short, an SPA delivers an engaging, interactive "app" feel while still providing pre-rendered pages and edge caching that satisfy Google's SEO and performance needs.