md0 VS
STRAPI
GIT VS API SERVER
Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that runs a Node.js server with a database and exposes your content through a REST or GraphQL API. md0 uses your existing GitHub repository as the content store with no additional infrastructure. These are fundamentally different architectures for different use cases.
TRY md0 FREEBackground
What Is Strapi
A Self-Hosted Headless CMS
Strapi is an open-source headless CMS built on Node.js. You install it on a server, configure your content types through an admin panel, and it generates a REST API and GraphQL API for your content. Your frontend fetches content from the Strapi API at build time or runtime. Strapi supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and MariaDB as its data store, and provides role-based access control, webhooks, media management, and plugin support.
Who Strapi Is Built For
Strapi is designed for teams that need a full backend CMS with complex content types, role-based access control, webhook integrations, and APIs that serve multiple frontends simultaneously. A team building a mobile app and a web app that both consume the same content is a natural Strapi use case. A team building a marketing site with blog posts and documentation pages that lives in one GitHub repository is a natural md0 use case.
The Infrastructure Difference
The fundamental difference between Strapi and md0 is infrastructure. Strapi runs as a separate server process alongside your frontend. That server needs a host: a VPS, a container on a cloud provider, or Strapi Cloud. It needs a database: PostgreSQL is recommended for production. It needs backup procedures, monitoring, uptime checks, and Node.js version management. md0 has none of this. The only infrastructure md0 requires is a GitHub account, which most development teams already have.
Content as Files vs Content as Database Records
When you create a blog post in Strapi, it is stored as a database record in PostgreSQL. When you create a blog post in md0, it is stored as a markdown file committed to your GitHub repository. These two storage approaches have different properties. Database records are flexible for relational data, real-time queries, and complex permission systems. Markdown files are version-controlled by default, portable to any static site generator, and require zero infrastructure beyond a Git host.
Side by Side
Feature Comparison
| Feature | md0 CMS | Strapi |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting required | GitHub (no server) | VPS or Strapi Cloud |
| Database | None | PostgreSQL / MySQL / SQLite |
| REST API | Files are source of truth | Yes |
| Self-hosted | N/A (no server) | Yes, required |
| Setup time | 2 minutes | 30-60 minutes |
| Static site native | Yes | Via build hooks |
| Git integration | Native | Via webhook |
Where md0 Wins
Why Static Sites Should Not Run Strapi
1. No server to provision, maintain, or pay for
A production Strapi deployment requires a server with enough RAM to run Node.js, a separate database server or managed database service, SSL termination, process management with PM2 or a container runtime, and backup procedures for the database. A modest Strapi setup on a cloud provider costs at minimum fifteen to thirty dollars per month. Strapi Cloud starts at twenty-nine dollars per month. md0 uses your GitHub repository as its data store. GitHub is already part of your development workflow. There is no additional server to provision or pay for.
2. Content lives alongside your code
In a Strapi setup, your content lives in a database that is separate from your code repository. To restore your site after a database failure, you need both the code repository and a database backup from the same point in time. With md0, your content is in your GitHub repository alongside your code. A single git clone gives you everything. No database backup schedule to set up, no separate disaster recovery procedure.
3. Version control for content is free
Strapi does not provide built-in content versioning in its free tier. Draft and publish states are available but full version history requires the Enterprise tier. With md0, every content edit is a Git commit. Full history, who changed what, and the ability to revert to any previous state come for free as part of the git workflow. Content history in md0 is as complete as code history in any Git repository.
4. Setup time measured in minutes, not hours
Setting up Strapi for production involves creating a server, installing Node.js, configuring a database, running the Strapi installer, configuring your content types, setting up SSL, configuring environment variables, and setting up webhook connections to trigger your static site builds. Expect 30 to 60 minutes for a developer who knows the tools. Connecting md0 to a GitHub repository takes two minutes: authenticate with GitHub, select the repository, and start editing.
Honest Assessment
When Strapi Is the Right Tool
1. Multiple frontends consuming the same content
If you have a web app, a mobile app, and a third-party integration that all need to read the same content, a REST API backend like Strapi is the natural solution. md0 writes to markdown files, which work well for static site builds but are not the right transport layer for a mobile app SDK. Strapi's API-first design is built for exactly this multi-consumer scenario.
2. User-generated content at scale
If your application has content created by end users, such as comments, reviews, or community posts, that content cannot live in a static file repository. It is transactional data that requires a real database with write operations at arbitrary times. Strapi is designed for this. md0 is designed for editorial content produced by a content team on a managed workflow.
3. Complex permission systems
Strapi provides role-based access control with fine-grained permissions per content type and per operation. If your content system needs editors who can draft but not publish, reviewers who can approve but not create, and administrators who control everything, Strapi's permission model handles this. md0 uses GitHub's permission system, which is repository-level and less granular for content workflows.
Architecture
How the Two Workflows Compare
md0 CMS Flow
Strapi Flow
NO SERVER REQUIRED
Connect your GitHub repo and start editing markdown content without provisioning a server, setting up a database, or paying for hosting beyond what you already use. Free for public repositories.
GET STARTED FREE