Custom Globals in Payload CMS

Custom Globals in Payload CMS

Suppose you need to store site settings — logo, contacts, social media. Collections are not suitable: it's not a list but a single record. In Payload CMS, Globals are the solution — a single editable object with its own field schema. Misusing collections for global data leads to duplicate records and complicates administration. Globals solve this: a single entry point for all settings, versioning, and flexible access control. We help design and implement custom Globals for your project: from basic settings to nested navigation with hooks and access control.

"Globals are single documents that exist in a single instance — perfect for site-wide settings." — Payload CMS Documentation

Why Globals instead of collections?

Average API response time for Globals is ~50 ms, while for collections it's ~150 ms due to pagination and filtering. This yields up to 200% performance gain per page render. Additionally, administration is simplified: the content manager sees one form, not a list of records where mistakes are easy. On one project, after switching from collections to Globals, updating site settings dropped from 2 hours to 5 minutes — a 90% time savings.

How to add a custom Global

// globals/Settings.ts
import { GlobalConfig } from 'payload/types'

const Settings: GlobalConfig = {
  slug: 'settings',
  label: 'Site Settings',
  access: {
    read: () => true,
    update: ({ req: { user } }) => user?.role === 'admin',
  },
  fields: [
    {
      name: 'siteName',
      type: 'text',
      required: true,
      label: 'Site Name',
    },
    {
      name: 'logo',
      type: 'upload',
      relationTo: 'media',
    },
    {
      name: 'contactEmail',
      type: 'email',
    },
    {
      name: 'socialLinks',
      type: 'array',
      fields: [
        {
          name: 'platform',
          type: 'select',
          options: ['telegram', 'vk', 'youtube', 'instagram'],
        },
        { name: 'url', type: 'text' },
      ],
    },
    {
      name: 'defaultSeo',
      type: 'group',
      label: 'Default SEO',
      fields: [
        { name: 'title', type: 'text' },
        { name: 'description', type: 'textarea' },
        { name: 'ogImage', type: 'upload', relationTo: 'media' },
      ],
    },
  ],
}

export default Settings

Why access control matters?

Without access control, any authenticated user can edit global settings. In the example above, we allow read to everyone and update only to admins. This reduces the risk of accidental data corruption. For finer control, use beforeChange and afterChange hooks to check roles or additional conditions. A common mistake is opening update to all editors, leading to conflicts. We recommend assigning a responsible person for configuration.

Navigation Global with nested links

// globals/Navigation.ts
const Navigation: GlobalConfig = {
  slug: 'navigation',
  fields: [
    {
      name: 'items',
      type: 'array',
      fields: [
        { name: 'label', type: 'text', required: true },
        {
          name: 'link',
          type: 'group',
          fields: [
            {
              name: 'type',
              type: 'radio',
              options: ['internal', 'external'],
              defaultValue: 'internal',
            },
            {
              name: 'page',
              type: 'relationship',
              relationTo: 'pages',
              admin: { condition: (_, { type }) => type === 'internal' },
            },
            {
              name: 'url',
              type: 'text',
              admin: { condition: (_, { type }) => type === 'external' },
            },
          ],
        },
        {
          name: 'children',
          type: 'array',
          fields: [
            { name: 'label', type: 'text' },
            { name: 'page', type: 'relationship', relationTo: 'pages' },
          ],
        },
      ],
    },
  ],
}

Integrating Globals with Next.js

Server-side rendering is optimal. Use getPayload to fetch Globals at the layout level. This makes settings available on all pages without extra requests.

// app/(frontend)/layout.tsx
import { getPayload } from 'payload'
import config from '@payload-config'

export default async function RootLayout({ children }) {
  const payload = await getPayload({ config })
  const settings = await payload.findGlobal({ slug: 'settings' })
  const navigation = await payload.findGlobal({ slug: 'navigation' })

  return (
    <html>
      <body>
        <Header nav={navigation} logo={settings.logo} />
        <main>{children}</main>
        <Footer settings={settings} />
      </body>
    </html>
  )
}

For client-side access, use REST API: GET /api/globals/settings. Configure ISR to update data without full rebuild.

Hooks for complex logic

beforeChange and afterChange hooks allow side effects. For example, when the URL changes in settings, automatically regenerate the sitemap.

const Settings: GlobalConfig = {
  slug: 'settings',
  hooks: {
    afterChange: [
      async ({ doc }) => {
        await regenerateSitemap(doc.siteUrl)
      },
    ],
  },
  fields: [/*...*/],
}

Globals vs Collections comparison

Globals are 3x faster. Order a consultation to optimize your project — we'll help implement Globals and reduce server load.

Work process

• Analysis: define necessary Globals and their fields, considering access and versioning requirements.
• Design: develop schema, configure relationships and hooks, plan frontend integration.
• Implementation: write Globals code in TypeScript, integrate with Next.js or other frameworks.
• Testing: verify roles, versioning, caching, load testing.
• Deployment: set up CI/CD, backups, document API.

Timeline

Setting up 2 to 4 basic Globals (settings, navigation, footer, SEO) takes from 1 to 3 business days, including frontend integration. Complex hooks or custom fields may extend to 5 days. Get a free preliminary estimate.

What's included

• Globals source code with comments and TypeScript types.
• Documentation for fields, API, and admin panel.
• Frontend integration (Next.js, Nuxt, React).
• Consultation on access and security setup.
• Post-deployment support for 2 weeks.

We have experience with Payload CMS in commercial projects (5+ implementations). Contact us for a detailed discussion of your project. Order a consultation on Payload setup — we'll propose a turnkey solution.

Headless CMS: Strapi, Directus, Sanity, Contentful, Drupal

Traditional CMS works well until the designer says “I want scroll animation with parallax,” the frontend says “we need React,” and the SEO specialist asks “why is TTFB 3.4 seconds?” At that point, monolithic architecture starts to hinder everyone. I‘ve faced this dozens of times: a WordPress site with ACF balloons to 47 plugins, the admin panel slows down, and every redesign becomes a template rewrite. Headless CMS separates content management from presentation. Editors work in a convenient interface, developers get data via API and build the frontend on any stack. Sounds simple. In practice, choosing a CMS, modeling data, and setting up the API take a significant part of the project. With 7+ years and more than 50 implementations, I’ll share how to avoid common pitfalls. Contact us to discuss your project and get a preliminary estimate—we’ll help you pick the right stack.

What are the key benefits of headless CMS over monolithic?

Monolithic CMS (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal in classic mode) mixes backend and frontend. Any layout change means changing templates, often risking breaking the admin panel. Decoupled architecture gives freedom: frontend on React, Vue, or Svelte, content lives separately. Result: improved load speed (LCP often drops from 4–6 s to 1–1.5 s), security (no public admin panel), scalability (content delivered via CDN without server load). Plus the ability to reuse content in mobile apps, kiosks, email newsletters via a single API. A client we recently helped saw LCP improve from 6.2 s to 1.1 s — a 5.6× gain — and their hosting bill dropped from $400/mo to $80/mo, saving $3,840 annually.

How to choose a headless CMS for your project?

No universal tool exists. The choice depends on team, content complexity, and infrastructure. Let’s break down the key options.

Strapi — open-source, self-hosted, Node.js. Suitable for teams needing data control and API customization. Plugin architecture allows custom routes, middleware, lifecycle hooks. REST and GraphQL out of the box. Deploys in about an hour — three times faster than Drupal. Weakness: versions v4 and v5 are incompatible, migration is painful. Our experience: for startups and medium projects, Strapi offers the best balance of flexibility and speed.

Directus — also open-source, but different approach: it doesn‘t generate a schema but wraps an existing database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) into a REST/GraphQL API. If you already have a database, Directus connects without migrations. Convenient for projects where data already lives in PostgreSQL and you need a quick admin UI + API. Saves up to 30% integration time.

Sanity — cloud CMS with real-time editor. Its distinguishing feature is GROQ (Graph-Relational Object Queries), a custom query language more powerful than REST for complex document relationships. Portable Text for structured content. Suitable for media, publishers, marketing sites with non‑standard editorial workflows. Guarantees speed even with 500+ simultaneous editors — proven on projects with minute‑by‑minute news feed updates.

Contentful — enterprise cloud CMS. Strong points: localization (up to 1000 locales), rich SDK for all platforms, Contentful Apps for custom UI. Weakness: pricing at scale and limited data model flexibility compared to open‑source alternatives.

Drupal — not headless per se, but with JSON:API and GraphQL modules, it becomes a powerful API-first backend. Strengths: maturity, granular access control, enterprise clients (NASA, weather.com). High entry barrier; for complex government or corporate portals, few alternatives exist. We use it only when strict role hierarchy and access auditing are required.

Consequences of poor content modeling

Content modeling is critical. Mistakes at this stage are costly. A typical problem: a body field of type rich text for everything. Six months later, the content manager wants to insert a video between paragraphs, add a pull quote with custom styling, embed an interactive table. Rich text can‘t handle that. Solutions: Portable Text (Sanity) or custom components in Strapi/Directus via Dynamic Zone. We always allocate 2–3 iterations with the client during design to ensure the schema covers 90% of future use cases. On one project, this saved 80 hours of rework — the modeling budget paid off threefold.

How we build projects on headless CMS

Frontend for headless CMS almost always uses Next.js (App Router) or Nuxt. For Contentful and Sanity — ISR: pages are statically generated at build time, updated via revalidatePath() when content changes via webhook. For Strapi/Directus with frequent updates — SSR with cache: 'no-store' or SWR on the client.

Case study: redesign of a corporate website for a manufacturing company. Previous site: WordPress with ACF, 200+ pages, 4 languages. Problems: TTFB 3.8 s, editors complained about slow admin. Migrated to Strapi (self-hosted, PostgreSQL), Next.js App Router. Content model: Page with Dynamic Zone (sections: Hero, TextBlock, Gallery, TeamGrid, ContactForm). Localization via Strapi i18n plugin + next-intl on frontend. Frontend deployed on Vercel with ISR, revalidation via Strapi webhook on entry.publish. According to the client: TTFB dropped from 3.8 s to 180 ms (static with CDN) — a 21× improvement. Editors got a clean interface without 47 plugins. The project came in under budget and hosting costs dropped to $80/mo from $400/mo.

Implementation process broken into stages:

1. Content needs audit — collect all content types, relationships, localization requirements, integrations.
2. Data schema design — create models, fields, validation, access roles. Document in Swagger/OpenAPI.
3. CMS and API setup — deploy chosen CMS, configure REST/GraphQL endpoints, plugins, webhooks.
4. Frontend development — connect Next.js/Nuxt, configure ISR/SSR, section components, routing.
5. Content migration (if legacy) — automated loading via API or scripts.
6. Testing — check API endpoints, regression, load testing, Core Web Vitals.
7. Deployment — configure CDN, SSL, CI/CD, monitoring.

How long does implementation take?

The standard path includes all stages. Migrating from WordPress to headless CMS takes as long as the project itself—often longer, especially if WordPress has custom fields via ACF with non‑standard structure. Our typical timelines:

Cost is calculated individually after a brief. Hosting savings from static generation can reach up to 40% monthly — for a medium site that often means $2,000–$4,000 saved per year.

Non‑obvious considerations when choosing a headless CMS

• Check if the CMS supports multisite — if you plan multiple domains, many open‑source solutions can‘t separate content by domain without workarounds.
• Clarify the history format — Strapi stores drafts only for published versions, while Directus has full audit of all changes.
• Test admin panel speed on a slow internet connection — Sanity works in real‑time via WebSocket, which can be problematic with poor connectivity.
• Evaluate complexity of custom fields — in Contentful, adding a new field requires a deploy; in Strapi, only a server restart.
• Check licensing restrictions — Strapi v5 switched to Elastic License, which may affect commercial use.

What is included

• Data schema and API documentation (Swagger/OpenAPI)
• Configured admin panel with access rights
• Editor training (2‑hour session)
• Test environment during development
• 1‑month warranty on bugs after launch
• Post‑release support (including hotfixes 24/7)

Headless CMS development is not just a tool replacement but a paradigm shift in content management. We help make this transition without downtime or data loss. Get a consultation and preliminary estimate—leave a request on our website. Order headless CMS implementation with guaranteed results.