Headless WordPress Development

Headless WordPress development: WordPress as a content backend, a frontend in whatever stack fits -- Hugo, Astro, Next.js, Nuxt, or vanilla JavaScript -- and the REST API work that connects them. From a principal engineer with 14 years in WordPress.

Prebuilt Static Pages

Static HTML at build time, with no client runtime required to render a page and no database query on every request.

REST API Backends

WordPress's REST API extended with the fields and endpoints the frontend needs, plus authentication for private content.

Multi-Tenant Architecture

One WordPress backend serving multiple sites, each with its own frontend and its own scoped search, without multiplying infrastructure.

WordPress Stays the Editor

Content teams keep the WordPress admin they already know. The frontend rebuilds automatically when content changes.

WordPress as the backend, something faster as the frontend

Headless WordPress means using WordPress purely as a content backend, exposed through its REST API, while a separate system builds and serves the frontend. It’s worth it when performance, security, or scale matter more than the convenience of WordPress’s own templating and page builders, and it takes engineering effort that a standard WordPress site with good caching doesn’t need. The tradeoffs are covered in 84EM’s headless WordPress guide.

84EM runs headless WordPress in production, including a multi-tenant directory platform built on Hugo serving multiple niche directories off one shared backend. WordPress stays the editor. The frontend gets chosen per project based on traffic and performance needs.

Who builds your headless project?

One engineer handles the project start to finish, from the shape of the REST API to the frontend to the deploy pipeline connecting them.

Headless projects get harder to manage when the backend and frontend are built by different people who don’t talk to each other. The API gets shaped without knowing what the frontend needs, and the SEO work a WordPress theme does on its own quietly disappears.

84EM brings 14 years of WordPress work, inside 31 years of building for the web, to both halves of the stack. What gets handed off is a system a future developer can maintain.

What can 84EM build with headless WordPress?

WordPress REST API backends shaped with custom fields, custom endpoints, and an authentication strategy, static frontends in Hugo or Astro, JavaScript frontends in Next.js or Nuxt when a client runtime is justified, and multi-tenant architectures.

WordPress REST API Backends

Custom fields and endpoints, with authentication where content isn’t public, built around the frontend that will consume the API.

Static Site Frontends

Hugo or Astro sites that compile to plain HTML, so pages render without shipping JavaScript to the visitor. A build triggers whenever content changes, and editors keep a normal publishing workflow.

JavaScript Frontends

Next.js, Nuxt, or vanilla JavaScript when the site needs a client runtime – interactive features, real-time data, or an app-like experience the content needs.

Multi-Tenant Platforms

Each site or niche directory gets its own frontend and its own search index, without running a second backend.

SEO and Structured Data on a Headless Frontend

Sitemaps, meta tags, and structured data that a WordPress theme and SEO plugin normally handle automatically, rebuilt on the new frontend so search visibility carries over in the move off traditional WordPress.

Proof of Work

Multi Site Directory Network on Headless WordPress

Publishing & Media Data & Integrations

Six location directories run on one headless WordPress and Hugo platform, serving thousands of listings with instant page loads and letting owners manage their own entries without creating accounts. Built and operated by 84EM.

Read more

His contributions have had a direct, meaningful impact improving overall site performance while enhancing reporting capabilities and activity tracking.

I've had the pleasure of working with Andrew at 84EM for over four years, and he's consistently been an exceptional partner across a range of development needs. From deep backend portal work to modernizing legacy code and building custom solutions tailored to our clients, his contributions have had a direct, meaningful impact improving overall site performance while enhancing reporting capabilities and activity tracking.
Supporting a complex 13-site ecosystem with multiple API integrations is no small task, yet Andrew approaches these challenges with both technical expertise and thoughtful problem-solving. He's proactive in identifying potential issues, staying on top of updates in the development space, and ensuring that our clients' websites remain secure, stable, and current.
Equally important, he communicates technical recommendations clearly and accessibly, making them easy to understand for those without a technical background. Beyond his skill and knowledge, Andrew has been a valuable mentor to our internal development team, always collaborative, reliable, and committed to delivering high-quality results.

Lauren Farrell Account Director Plan B Advertising

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Frequently asked questions.

Does 84EM build headless WordPress sites?

Yes. 84EM builds headless WordPress: WordPress as a content backend exposed through its REST API, with a separate system building and serving the frontend, for sites where performance and scale matter more than built-in templating.

Does 84EM only build headless WordPress frontends in Hugo?

No. 84EM builds whatever frontend fits the project -- Hugo, Astro, Next.js, Nuxt, or vanilla JavaScript. Hugo runs 84EM's own production directory platform, but the frontend choice depends on the project's traffic and performance needs.

Can 84EM build a multi-tenant directory on headless WordPress?

Yes. One WordPress backend can serve multiple niche directories, each with its own static frontend and its own scoped search index, without multiplying backend infrastructure per site.

Is headless WordPress right for my site?

It depends on scale. Headless is worth it when performance, security, or scale matter more than the convenience of WordPress's own templating and page builders. For a standard site, traditional WordPress with good caching already performs fine.

Does 84EM do WordPress development?

Yes. WordPress development has been an 84EM specialty since 2012. Custom plugins, AI integrations, APIs, automation and custom workflows. See case studies for examples.

How do I get started with 84EM?

Contact 84EM to discuss your requirements, timeline, and budget. No commitment required.

Outgrown WordPress templating?

Describe what your site needs to do at scale. You'll get a straight answer on what headless would buy you.

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