# Using Craft CMS as a Headless CMS with the GraphQL API

DevFeed: [Using Craft CMS as a Headless CMS with the GraphQL API](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/using-the-craft-cms-headless-with-the-graphql-api-31317.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://nystudio107.com/blog/using-the-craft-cms-graphql-api-on-the-frontend>)

Author: andrew@nystudio107.com (Andrew Welch)

Published: 2020-01-20T05:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [nystudio107 | Articles on modern web development.](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/nystudio107-articles-on-modern-web-development.md>)

Topics: [Content Management System](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cms.md>), [GraphQL](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/graphql.md>), [API](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/api.md>), [Front end](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/frontend.md>), [Self-hosted](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/self-hosted.md>)

Tags: [added](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/added.md>), [api](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/api.md>), [authoring](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/authoring.md>), [cms](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cms.md>), [craft](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/craft.md>), [formalized](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/formalized.md>), [frontend](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/frontend.md>), [gives](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gives.md>), [graphql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/graphql.md>), [headless](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/headless.md>), [here-s](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/here-s.md>), [insights](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/insights.md>), [layer](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/layer.md>), [practical](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/practical.md>), [structured](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/structured.md>), [website](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/website.md>)

## AI overview

This tutorial explains how to use Craft CMS as a headless CMS through its GraphQL API. It discusses the API's structured data access, its use with separate frontends, and the distinction between Craft CMS's first-party implementation and the CraftQL plugin.

## Source excerpt

Craft CMS 3.3 added a GraphQL layer that gives your website a formalized, structured API out of the box. Here's how to use GraphQL + Craft CMS as a "headless" CMS