How to Use a CMS as a Backend for a Mobile App
IntermediateQuick Answer
TL;DR
Using a headless CMS as a mobile app backend means storing your app's content — screens, copy, images, configuration — in the CMS and fetching it via API at runtime. This lets non-developers update app content without a new app store release. The CMS handles content storage and delivery; your mobile app handles rendering. Sanity, Contentful, and Strapi are popular choices for this pattern.
Key Takeaways
- A headless CMS can serve as the content backend for iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter apps via REST or GraphQL APIs
- This pattern enables over-the-air content updates without submitting a new app store build
- Model your app's content as structured data: screens, sections, copy strings, feature flags, and media assets
- Use the CMS for content that changes frequently; keep business logic and transactional data in your primary backend
- Offline support requires caching CMS API responses locally on the device