Migration from Contentful to Strapi

These days, managing content is a major component of creating websites and applications. It is much easier to run a blog, an online store, or a service platform when you have a dependable content management system (CMS). Two of the most well-liked options for headless CMS solutions among the numerous CMS options available are Contentful and Strapi.

Known for its cloud-based platform and ease of setup, Contentful has been around for a while. A lot of developers appreciate how easy it is to connect Contentful to their apps and get started. However, Strapi has recently gained popularity as a potent substitute. Why? Well, Strapi is open-source, self-hosted, and gives you more freedom to shape it however you want.

In this blog, I’ll break down why so many businesses are moving from Contentful to Strapi, and explain how you can do it step by step without stress.

Let me start by sharing the main reasons why companies are making this switch.

Contentful works on a subscription model. This implies that you pay more for more content. These costs can mount up rapidly for startups or small enterprises. Strapi, on the other hand, is open-source and totally free. All you have to pay for is hosting, which is ultimately far less expensive.

When you use Contentful, you are linked to its cloud. You don't truly understand how everything works behind the scenes, and you are unable to make major custom changes. Strapi gives you complete control because you host it yourself. You can change your setup, add plugins, or change the code if you'd like.

Strapi is great if your project needs special features. Maybe you want a custom user role or a unique content structure. Strapi makes it easy to build exactly what you need, without restrictions.

This is crucial for businesses that are worried about where their data is kept. Strapi gives you the freedom to decide where your data is kept, which is perfect for industries that have strict privacy laws to follow.

Before you jump into technical stuff, spend time understanding your current Contentful setup. Ask yourself:

Put everything in writing. The next steps are much simpler when you know exactly what you have.

Strapi is easy to prepare. Node.js must be installed on your server or PC. After that, you can quickly create a new project by using Strapi's simple installation tools.

A user-friendly admin panel will appear after installation, allowing you to begin creating your content types.

Creating the same content structure in Strapi as you did in Contentful is an essential first step.

For example, if your content contained fields like Title, Body, Author, and Image, you would have to recreate the "Blog Post" model in Strapi. Strapi provides a simple drag-and-drop interface for setting up field relationships and content types.

Do this step slowly. Make sure everything aligns correctly by taking your time. This serves as the cornerstone of your future content management system.

Tools for exporting your content into a file, typically in JSON format, are provided by Contentful. All of your blog entries, merchandise, writers, and the metadata that goes with them will be included in this file.

Additionally, keep in mind to manage your media files (pictures, videos) independently. To ensure they are ready to be uploaded into Strapi later, you should download those.

Strapi doesn’t have a built-in bulk import feature, but that doesn’t make the process complicated. You can use simple plugins or manual methods to add your content.

Start by uploading your media files into Strapi’s Media Library. Then, one by one (or in small batches), import your content entries. Make sure relationships are preserved. For example, each blog post should still point to the correct author.

I recommend starting with a few entries first. This way, you can be sure the data is imported correctly before handling everything at once.

Once the content is imported, take your time to test thoroughly.

Testing now helps prevent problems later.

Strapi should be transferred to a production server once everything appears to be operating as it should.

For this, a lot of people use hosting services like Heroku, AWS EC2, or DigitalOcean. In production settings, Postgres performs admirably for the database.

After deployment, don't forget to modify your front-end code to use the new Strapi API instead of Contentful to retrieve content.

Strapi is a good option for companies that wish to own their content system because it provides greater freedom, flexibility, and reduced costs.

If you need certain customizations or are tired of paying outrageously high contentful bills, Strapi is worth a try. Just follow the instructions: understand your structure, export data, set up Strapi, carefully import content, test thoroughly, and deploy.

Your migration will be successful in this way, and it will also set up your business for future growth.