How to Use Strapi

How to Use Strapi

Strapi has quickly become one of the most popular headless CMS platforms in the modern web development ecosystem. Its flexibility, open‑source nature, and compatibility with JavaScript‑based frameworks make it a go‑to solution for developers, content teams, and businesses looking to build scalable digital experiences. Whether you're creating websites, eCommerce platforms, mobile apps, or enterprise tools, Strapi offers a clean, structured, and developer‑friendly way to manage content with full control over APIs.

This guide explains how to use Strapi from scratch, step‑by‑step. It covers installation, setup, content modeling, API usage, permissions, deployment, and advanced configuration---everything you need to become productive with Strapi.

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Understanding Strapi and Why It Matters

Strapi is an open‑source headless CMS built on Node.js. It offers:

• A clean and intuitive admin dashboard\
• Customizable content types\
• Automatically generated REST and GraphQL APIs\
• Role‑based permissions\
• File upload and media management\
• Plugin system for extending functionality\
• Support for SQL and NoSQL databases

Because Strapi is API‑driven, you can use it with any frontend technology, such as:

• Next.js\
• React\
• Vue.js\
• Angular\
• Svelte\
• Mobile apps (Flutter, React Native)\
• IoT devices

This separation of backend (Strapi) and frontend (your chosen UI) enables scalability, better performance, and future‑proof architecture.

Step 1: Installing Strapi

Before you start using Strapi, you need Node.js installed. Strapi recommends Node.js LTS versions.

Check your environment:

node -v
npm -v

Install Strapi Using NPX

The easiest method for beginners:

npx create-strapi-app@latest my-project

Then choose:

• Quickstart (SQLite)\
• Custom (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, MongoDB not supported in v4)

Running Strapi

Once installed:

cd my-project
npm run develop

This launches:

• Admin panel → http://localhost:1337/admin\
• API endpoints → http://localhost:1337/api

On first run, you'll create the admin user.

Step 2: Understanding the Admin Dashboard

Strapi's admin dashboard is clean and easy to use. It includes:

1. Content Manager

This is where you create, edit, and manage entries (articles, products, users, etc.).

2. Content‑Type Builder

This allows you to define structured data by creating:

• Single types (e.g., Home Page, Settings)\
• Collection types (e.g., Blog posts, Products, Categories)

3. Media Library

Upload images, videos, PDFs, and manage all media assets.

4. Plugins

Strapi supports powerful plugins like:

• Users & Permissions\
• GraphQL\
• Documentation\
• Email\
• Upload Providers (AWS S3, Cloudinary)

5. Settings

Manage roles, authentication, API keys, webhooks, and environment variables.

Step 3: Creating Content Types

Content types define the structure of your data.

Creating a Collection Type

Example: Blog Posts
Steps:

1. Go to Content‑Type Builder\
2. Click Create new collection type\
3. Name it: Post\
4. Add fields:
   • Text → Title\
   • Rich Text → Content\
   • Media → Featured Image\
   • Relation → Category\
   • UID → Slug

Save and Strapi will restart automatically.

Creating a Single Type

Common uses:

• Homepage\
• SEO settings\
• Global site configuration\
• Header/Footer content

Process is identical to collection types.

Step 4: Adding Content

Once content types are created:

1. Open the Content Manager\
2. Select your type (e.g., Post)\
3. Click Create New Entry\
4. Fill out the fields\
5. Save → Publish

Strapi features:

• Autosave\
• Draft & Publish workflow\
• Filters and search\
• Localization (multi‑language)

Step 5: Working With Strapi APIs

Every content type automatically gets REST APIs.

Example REST API Endpoints

Get all posts

GET /api/posts

Get single post

GET /api/posts/:id

Query Parameters

Strapi supports population, filtering, and sorting.

/api/posts?populate=*
/api/posts?filters[category][name][$eq]=Technology
/api/posts?sort=title:asc

GraphQL

If you install the GraphQL plugin:

npm install @strapi/plugin-graphql

Then query using:

{
  posts {
    data {
      attributes {
        title
        content
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 6: Setting Permissions

By default, public API access is restricted.

To enable:

1. Go to Settings → Users & Permissions\
2. Select Public or Authenticated\
3. Enable read permissions for your content types

If you skip this step, frontend users will get 403 Forbidden errors.

Step 7: Authentication and User Management

Strapi includes built‑in authentication and JWT‑based login.

Register User

POST /api/auth/local/register

Login User

POST /api/auth/local

Response includes:

• JWT token\
• User object

Using JWT in Frontend

Pass it in Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer <token>

Step 8: Media Management

Strapi supports local uploads or cloud providers.

Popular options:

• Cloudinary\
• AWS S3\
• DigitalOcean Spaces\
• Google Cloud Storage

Install the relevant provider and configure environment variables.

Step 9: Extending Strapi With Plugins

Strapi is highly customizable.

You can:

• Override controllers\
• Add custom routes\
• Create custom services\
• Inject lifecycle hooks\
• Install community plugins

Example plugin categories:

• SEO tools\
• Email services\
• PDF generators\
• Workflow automations

Step 10: Using Strapi With a Frontend (React/Next.js Example)

Example: Fetch posts in Next.js:

export async function getServerSideProps() {
  const res = await fetch("http://localhost:1337/api/posts?populate=*");
  const data = await res.json();

  return { props: { posts: data.data } };
}

Render on page:

{posts.map(post => (
  <h2 key={post.id}>{post.attributes.title}</h2>
))}

Headless CMS + modern frontend provides excellent SEO, speed, and scalability.

Step 11: Deployment Options

Strapi can be deployed on:

• VPS (Ubuntu, Nginx, PM2)\
• DigitalOcean Apps\
• Render\
• AWS EC2\
• Azure\
• Google Cloud\
• Docker\
• Kubernetes

Basic Linux Deployment Steps

1. Clone project\
2. Install Node.js\
3. Install dependencies\
4. Build admin panel\
5. Configure Nginx reverse proxy\
6. Run with PM2

For production, always define environment variables using .env.

Step 12: Best Practices for Using Strapi

To keep your project efficient, scalable, and secure:

Use environment‑specific configs

Never hard‑code API keys.

Enable CORS restrictions

Allow only permitted origins.

Use custom controllers for complex logic

Keep code clean.

Store media in cloud

Local storage fills up quickly.

Regularly update Strapi

Security patches matter.

Use roles and permissions

Avoid exposing sensitive endpoints.

Step 13: When You Should Use Strapi

Strapi is ideal for:

• Blog platforms\
• Mobile app backends\
• eCommerce catalogs\
• Multi‑language sites\
• Corporate websites\
• SaaS dashboards\
• Real‑time applications (with WebSockets integrations)\
• Headless WordPress alternatives

If your project requires full control over API structure, Strapi is one of the best choices.

Why Businesses Prefer Strapi

Strapi offers:

• Speed (build backends 10x faster)\
• Flexibility (custom models, custom code, custom APIs)\
• Ownership (self‑hosted, no vendor lock‑in)\
• Scalability\
• Security\
• Developer‑friendly environment

Teams can iterate quickly without rebuilding entire systems.

Final Thoughts

Strapi is one of the most powerful and flexible headless CMS platforms available today. Its clean UI, customizable architecture, and auto‑generated APIs make it a perfect fit for startups, enterprises, and agencies. Once you understand how to install it, build content types, manage permissions, and connect APIs to your frontend, you gain the ability to build scalable digital products with ease.

If you need professional help creating a Strapi‑powered project or integrating it with React, Next.js, or Node.js, you can hire AAMAX---a leading agency offering complete MERN Stack Development, Web Development, Digital Marketing, and SEO services.