Contentful and Gatsby: Build a static site with a headless CMS

The evolution of content management systems (CMS) has shifted from traditional monolithic systems, like WordPress, which tightly integrate content creation and presentation, to more flexible headless CMS architectures that separate content capturing from the end-user experience. This separation, facilitated by APIs, allows content to be managed in a central location and distributed to various platforms, such as websites, mobile apps, and social media. The text discusses the advantages of headless CMS, emphasizing increased flexibility and scalability, particularly in today's omnichannel environment. It provides a tutorial for using Gatsby and Contentful to create a headless CMS, highlighting the integration of Gatsby's React-based framework with Contentful's composable content platform. This setup leverages GraphQL for efficient data queries and supports dynamic previews, enabling content teams to manage and preview content independently from developers. The tutorial also covers setting up a Gatsby Cloud hosting account to facilitate real-time content updates and previews, making the process more efficient for both developers and content creators.