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Liteshow vs Strapi

Strapi is a popular Node.js headless CMS with powerful features—but it comes with significant infrastructure overhead. Liteshow delivers the same developer-first experience with radical simplification: no database servers, true git version control, and deploy-anywhere architecture.

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Quick Comparison

FeatureLiteshowStrapi
ArchitectureGit-native, SQLiteNode.js + Database (PostgreSQL/MySQL)
Database RequiredNo (SQLite in repo)Yes (separate DB server)
Version ControlNative git commitsPlugin-based or manual
Self-Hosting ComplexityLow (Node.js only)High (Node + DB + Redis)
DeploymentStatic-friendly (Vercel, Netlify)Requires Node.js server + DB
Content StorageGit repositoryDatabase + file system
AI FeaturesBuilt-in AI editorPlugin ecosystem
PricingFree (open source)Free + Paid Cloud

Why Developers Choose Liteshow Over Strapi

1.No Database Server Required

Strapi's approach:

  • Requires PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQLite
  • Production needs managed databases (RDS, etc.)
  • Database credentials management
  • Connection pooling configuration

Liteshow's approach:

  • SQLite is a file in your git repo
  • Clone the repo = entire CMS ready
  • No credentials to manage
  • Git history = automatic backups

Strapi setup:

1. Install Node.js
2. Set up PostgreSQL
3. Configure database
4. Run migrations
5. Seed data
6. Configure env vars

Liteshow setup:

git clone your-repo
npm install
npm run dev
# Done.

2.True Git Version Control

Strapi:

  • ●Content lives in the database
  • ●Requires plugins or scripts to version content
  • ●Hard to review content changes in PRs
  • ●Complex multi-environment sync

Liteshow:

  • Every content change is a git commit
  • Branch, merge, revert like code
  • Review content changes in pull requests
  • Environment sync is git pull

Liteshow content workflow:

git checkout -b update-homepage
# Edit content via Admin UI or directly
git commit -m "Update homepage hero copy"
git push origin update-homepage
# Create PR, review changes, merge

3.Deployment Simplicity

Strapi deployment requirements:

  • ● Node.js server (PM2, Docker, or managed)
  • ● Database server (PostgreSQL/MySQL)
  • ● File storage (S3 for media)
  • ● Redis (for caching/sessions)
  • ● Load balancer (for scaling)

Liteshow deployment requirements:

  • Push to git
  • That's it.

Works on:

VercelNetlifyCloudflareAny VPS

Infrastructure Costs

Strapi Production Costs

  • Strapi Cloud:$9-$499/month
  • Or Self-hosted VPS:$20-100/month
  • Managed DB:$15-200/month
  • S3 storage:$5-50/month
  • Redis:$10-30/month
  • Total:$50-$800+/mo

Liteshow Production Costs

  • Vercel/Netlify:$0-20/month
  • Database:$0 (SQLite included)
  • Redis:$0 (not needed)
  • Git storage:Free (GitHub/GitLab)
  • Total:$0-20/mo

Save $600-$9,600/year

Performance Comparison

Strapi

  • ● Dynamic Node.js server on every request
  • ● Database query on each API call
  • ● Requires caching layer (Redis)
  • Response time: 100-500ms

Liteshow

  • Static-first architecture
  • Pre-built at deploy time
  • Served from CDN edge
  • Response time: 10-50ms

When to Use Each

Strapi Excels When:

  • You need complex role-based permissions (Strapi's RBAC is excellent)
  • You want auto-generated REST + GraphQL APIs
  • You're building a large-scale multi-tenant platform

Liteshow Excels When:

  • You want content in git alongside code
  • You prefer infrastructure simplicity
  • You want zero-cost or low-cost hosting
  • You want AI-powered content editing built-in

Ready for Simpler CMS?

Your content in git. Your database is a file. Your deployment is a git push. Welcome to Strapi without the complexity.

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