HeadlessCMS

Wagtail

Flexible open-source CMS with headless APIs and strong editorial tools

Open SourceDjangoHeadless CMSREST APIEditorial WorkflowMedia ManagementPermissionsExtensibleMulti-Site
Visit WebsiteDocumentationGitHub

Overview

Wagtail is the leading open-source Python CMS built on Django. It supports both traditional and headless sites via REST and GraphQL APIs with a beautiful editing experience.

License

BSD 3-Clause

Best for:

Django projectsEnterprise websitesNews sitesMulti-language sites

Features

REST API
GraphQL API
StreamField
Page Tree
Image Editing
Workflow
Search

Pricing

Free TierNo
Free LimitUnlimited, open source
Self-hostedYes

Compatible Technologies

Technical Features

GraphQL API
REST API
Webhooks
Headless
Visual Editor
Live Preview
Media Library
Image Optimization
CDN Included
i18n
Version History
Drafts
Role-Based Access
Multi-Tenant
Audit Logs
TypeScript
Official SDK
CLI Tool
Plugin Ecosystem
SSO / OAuth
CI/CD Integration
Caching
Edge Deployment
Auto Scaling

Community

20100

GitHub Stars

Enterprise Features

Multi-tenant Support

Wagtail supports multi-site setups out of the box, where multiple sites share one admin, server, and database. It can also run in a multi-instance setup for stronger separation by deploying multiple instances with separate databases and media. Wagtail does not support full multi-tenancy in a single instance with fully isolated tenants.

Scalability

Horizontal scaling and high-availability deployments

Security & Compliance

Find Wagtail Experts

Looking for professional help with your Wagtail project? Here are top certified agencies and developers.

Top Agencies

Alpina Tech

Alpina Tech

#1 Recommended

Craft custom, responsive websites using expert code and stunning design. Build your site with a flexible CMS and premium hosting to boost your digital presence.

Successive Digital

Successive Digital

#1 Recommended

Successive Digital is a modern technology consulting partner built for enterprises that want to scale with confidence.

FocusReactive

FocusReactive

#1 Recommended

Web development agency with deep expertise in the headless CMS market.

Alloy

Alloy

Alloy is a marketing and transformation partner for the age of intelligence full of creative thinkers and problem solvers whose results-oriented work extends throughout the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.

Tentwenty Digital Agency

Tentwenty Digital Agency

Tentwenty Digital Agency specializes in addressing complex client challenges through a combination of cutting-edge UI/UX design and seamless technical integration.

Wagtail is an open-source CMS built on Django with a full admin UI and optional headless delivery. It includes a built-in JSON API for retrieving content as structured field data. Use it when you want flexible content models, strong editorial workflows, and the ability to power multiple sites or frontends.

Best For

  • Teams building Django-based content platforms
  • Projects needing editorial workflows and permissions
  • Sites that want optional headless delivery via API

Key Benefits

  • Built-in JSON API for content delivery
  • Granular permissions and moderation workflows
  • Extensible via packages and customization hooks

Why Developers Like It

  • Django-based foundation with customizable models and admin
  • Headless support with REST options and clear limitations documented

Common Use Cases

  • Marketing sites
  • Multi-site portfolios
  • Content-driven web apps
  • Editorial workflows and approvals
  • Headless frontends consuming JSON content

Setup Snapshot

  • Hosting Options: Self-hosted. Deploy as a standard Django app; multi-site and multi-instance configurations are documented.
  • Content Modeling: Define content using page models, snippets, and flexible field structures such as StreamField.
  • Delivery: Built-in JSON API; headless guidance discusses REST and GraphQL approaches (REST is native).

Caveats

  • Headless support has documented limitations; some features need workarounds or are incomplete.