Strapi is a CMS. It’s not really meant to be used as a backend for an SPA or web app.
You will end up with a complicated infrastucture if you go that route instead of using a traditional REST API for a backend.
I mean, possibly not. If you’re dead-set on using the JAMstack for your app then Strapi + React/Vue/Whatever is a good bet.
I have built a couple complex apps with it. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
With Node.js / Express, You can prototype something very quickly.
Thank you for your opinion 
Just wanted to clarify that not all “CMS” are created equal, Strapi is specifically a Headless CMS, so it’s specifically designed as a backend for just about anything (not just JAMStack, but web apps, games, desktop applications, ect).
Here is a rough breakdown of different types of CMS:
Interesting feedback. But I strongly disagree. Just my two cents: Strapi is not “just” a CMS. It’s a valid foundation for all kinds of use cases, which includes serving as a backend for SPA/WebApps.
For me Strapi is so much more than just Node.js and Express. That is comparing apples and oranges.
I am happily using Strapi for several projects as the application back office, including:
For me strapi is not an overcomplicated infrastructure. I can setup a new instance in 15min on Digital Ocean and Mongo Atlas. For example. Then I have a admin backoffice with a clean UI, REST/GraphQL support, data modeling with components, relations and even dynamic zones, and a robust authentication system.
Sure if you don’t need all this then vanilla nodejs+express is a valid choice, too. But I don’t want to miss all the Strapi goodness that increases productivity (and stability) a lot for me…
Sure strapi is still very young and I have a long list of feature requests, but that is another story ;D
Again. This is just my personal opinion. And it should always be: Chose the right tool for the right job!
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Sure, we are using strapi for CRM app, performance very low. Response times is too long if your data is big. We are planning switch to nodejs express.
Are you still having performance issues with Strapi?Which version of Strapi are you using?
Hey there, great post! As someone who’s new to this forum but not to the tech industry, I appreciate hearing different perspectives on the best way to build web apps. Speaking of CMS systems, have you ever heard of online crm system Planfix? I’ve been using it for managing customer relationships for more than two years, and it perfectly fits my needs. Have you had any experience with it? Let’s keep this thread updated with our software recs, folks. Waiting for your replies!
You should not compare something oldfashioned like planfix with Strapi.
We use Strapi because we haven’t (had) much experience in NodeJS. For us it’s better to start with a architecture that Strapi gave us und start making our progression in this “limited” freedom. After multiple years (since early 2020) using Strapi we consider Strapi v3 as the better Strapi (in comparison to v4) however we hope for improvements in v5 (to be more like v3 was). But after all this time we no longer fear building our own NodeJS / Express if customer demands and Strapi limitations require us to do so.
Just out of curiosity what makes v4 worse compared to v3? Also what are the limitations of strapi that are the biggest issues for you?
