#77th of 9 in Backends and databases

payload

Next.js-native headless CMS and app framework with a React admin panel

Documentation ↗ Website ↗ Repository on GitHub ↗

Stars: 45.2k
License: MIT
Last commit: Oct 2026
Last release: Sep 2026
Language: TypeScript

Stars, last 29 weeks+4,288

40,959 on 25 Mar 202645,247 on 14 Oct 2026

From GitHub's daily star counts.

Checked 15 Oct 2026 on GitHub.

Overview

Payload installs into an existing Next.js /app folder and provides a TypeScript headless CMS with auth, versions and drafts, localization, and a customizable React admin. Server components can query the database directly without REST or GraphQL. The README lists website and ecommerce templates plus one-click deploys to Vercel (Neon, Vercel Blob) and Cloudflare (Workers, R2, D1).

Who it is for: Next.js developers who need a self-hosted CMS or content backend

Strengths

Installs inside an existing Next.js /app folder, so frontend and backend share one codebase
Auth, versions and drafts, localization, and field-level access control are built in
Generates TypeScript types for your data; hooks exist at document and field level
One-click deploy to Vercel (Neon, Blob) or Cloudflare (Workers, R2, D1)

Weaknesses

README does not mention built-in AI features; it is a general CMS
Tied to Next.js and TypeScript for its native setup
Supported databases and minimum resources are not stated in the README
v2 to v3 required a migration guide, so older projects need upgrade work

What it needs

no GPU
Needs Next.js, Database (Neon Postgres or Cloudflare D1 in one-click deploys)

Also in Backends and databases

See all 9

Also in Backends and databases
Rank	Project	Score
1	appwriteSelf-hostable backend with auth, databases, storage, functions, messaging and hosting Live demo ↗ (opens in a new tab)57.7k starsBSD-3-Clause	93 out of 100
2	supabasePostgres backend with auth, storage, realtime and edge functions111.6k starsApache-2.0	73 out of 100
3	parse-serverNode.js backend with REST and GraphQL APIs on MongoDB or PostgreSQL21.4k starsApache-2.0	67 out of 100
#4	graphql-engineGraphQL API layer over Postgres, MongoDB, ClickHouse and SQL Server32.1k starsApache-2.0	65 out of 100
#5	spacetimedbRelational database that runs your app logic as modules and syncs clients live25.3k starscustom license	65 out of 100

How to choose

Check what you get self-hosted versus only in the managed cloud.
See how it handles auth, row-level security and file storage.
Look at the client SDKs for your stack.

Health

Releases: 48 in the last 12 monthsLast one 22 days ago
Top contributor: 14% of commits287 of 2,010 in the last 12 months
Security advisories: 49 published ↗ (opens in a new tab)On GitHub, in the last 12 months; 31 critical or high
OpenSSF Scorecard: 4.6 out of 10 ↗ (opens in a new tab)Run by OpenSSF on 12 Oct 2026

Read from GitHub, deps.dev and OpenSSF on 15 Oct 2026. Bots and coding-agent accounts are left out of the commit counts. Not part of the score: how we check.

License in plain words

MIT Permissive

Use it at work: Yes
Change it and rebrand it: Yes
Sell it or host it for others: Yes

Your part: Keep the copyright and license notice in copies you ship.

A plain summary, not legal advice. Read the license on GitHub ↗ (opens in a new tab)

#7 of 9 in Backends and databases on Archestack, as of 15 Oct 2026.

In your README

The badge updates twice a day.

[![Archestack](https://archestack.com/badge/payloadcms/payload.svg)](https://archestack.com/best-of-vibe-coding/projects/payload/)

How badges work

On your site or blog

A card with the rank, score and signals, in light or dark to match the reader.

<iframe src="https://archestack.com/embed/best-of-vibe-coding/payload/" title="payload on Archestack" width="400" height="270" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Preview the card

Best of Vibe Coding on GitHub

Each review comes from the project's README and facts we check on GitHub. The fix form opens with payload filled in.