WP Engine has released a managed hosting platform for headless WordPress CMS. They provide a Front End server and WordPress instance managed together versus having them on separate hosting accounts/platforms. This project was reportedly a pet project of the CEO of WP engine. They have filled the need in the market to simplify headless WordPress CMS hosting. However being an early adopter of a new technology means that the road may not be smooth.
There was good and bad in our experience. The good was?
- They are the only provider of combined wordpress headless cms managed hosting. Combining the modern front end hosting (e.g., React JS) with the WordPress back end. It provides both the JS server hosting together with the
- GIT connectivity was build in and easy to connect.
- Speed – code commits are fast. Server seems to be fast.
- Security is combined for both platforms.
The bad was?
- Tier 1 support was not knowledgeable of the product.
- They had a CORS error related to user access restrictions that took multiple attempts with the regular support and was only resolved when the salesperson got a higher level support involved.
When would we recommend using a headless CMS?
- When site speed and SEO is paramount.
- When a seamless mobile application is also required.
When not to headless CMS?
- When budget is limited, since headless could take up to 50% to 100% more time, depending upon the requirements.
- The myriad of plugins for WordPress are all not going to work in the Headless CMS.
- When users need simple first, the two technologies make for a more confusing site admin experience.
