AppApi VS ProcessWire

If you need to only return JSON for a Headless CMS experience, then it will be a piece of cake. You can choose to use a module like AppAPI or return the json using PHP's json_encode() function. Maybe a GraphQL module too.

Bottom one looks better. First one reminds me of ProcessWire.

ProcessWireProcessWire is a fantastic CMS/CMF (content management framework) and I think it is a good fit for your skills. Works with any front end CSS although my personal preference is UIkitUIkit.

Over the years I have tried different frameworks, mostly in PHP, like Code Igniter (2010), ProcessWire (2014) and Laravel (2015).

The idea of tons of 3rd-party plugins, with WordPress and also Drupal, is just disastrous for security.

Anyone with any ability to write a little PHP would be far far better off building their site in a CMS like ProcessWire [1], which has a very small core, but a extremely powerful content (PHP) API [2], which means you can replicate pretty much everything you have in Wordpress and Drupal with a few API calls in your templates.

This means you build your listing and presentation-logic custom made with the minimal amount of code needed, and the attack vector shrinks to pretty much nothing, as long as you don't voluntarily do something stupid.

[1] https://processwire.com/

[2] https://cheatsheet.processwire.com/

It is incredibly rare that I see anyone mention ProcessWire. I used to use it years ago and still subscribe to regular emails. It is indeed a great CMS/CMF. https://processwire.com/

ProcessWire is one option.

Regardless of that, I'd like to throw in ProcessWire as an option. You basically define all your fields and templates you want to have in the admin, and then you create your templates. You can also use Page Classes to extend functions for a specific template. Your application sits in the "sites" folder and is separated from core. I'm running two websites with that one.

If you're a PHP user, check out ProcessWire.

I'm looking for a headless CMS solution that offers a good content editing strategy. I'm used to working with Statamic and Processwire, both of which allow you to create your own "Content blocks", which can be re-used by the editor / user and are set up in ways which allow you to define them.