Sanity.io CMS

Author: Odd Egil Hegge Selnes

Introduction

In today’s digital world, content is everything. The way it is managed can “make or break” a business’s ability to grow, engage with its customers, and adapt to market changes. Traditional content management systems (CMS) often struggle to meet the ever-changing demands of modern web and mobile applications, particularly for businesses seeking flexibility, speed, and seamless collaboration. Enter Sanity.io — a content platform that redefines how you create, manage, and distribute content.

Sanity is more than just a CMS. With its real-time collaboration features, structured content model, and API-first approach, it empowers developers and content creators to work smarter and faster. From start-ups building MVPs and applications to large enterprises managing complex, multichannel content, Sanity offers a robust and scalable solution tailored to the needs of developers and content creators alike.

This case study examines what makes Sanity.io stand out in today’s crowded CMS landscape. We will delve into its unique features and provide a roadmap for getting started with this innovative platform.

Brief history

Sanity, like many great ideas, was born to fill a need. The company began as a consultancy firm called Bengler, specializing in solving digital challenges primarily for Norwegian clients. During its time as a consultancy, Bengler was commissioned to enhance the web communication for an architecture company.

This company produced a large number of books, which Bengler believed could also thrive in a digital format. They saw an opportunity and assumed the solution would be straightforward: purchase an off-the-shelf CMS that would enable the architects to create content once and publish it across multiple platforms.

However, they couldn’t find a CMS that met their requirements. This prompted them to develop their own system, which eventually gained traction in other projects as well.

After several years of development, Sanity was officially launched in 2017. With this milestone, Bengler transitioned from being a consultancy firm to becoming a product company — Sanity.io.

Why Sanity.io

As companies and organizations increasingly adopt digital-first strategies, the demands on content management systems (CMS) continues to evolve. Traditional CMS’s often struggle with limitations such as rigid templates, restricted developer flexibility, and challenges in scaling to support multi-channel experiences. This is where Sanity.io stands out — delivering a modern, headless CMS designed to meet the challenges of today’s dynamic content landscape.

Flexibility for developers

Sanity.io’s API-first architecture offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing developers to seamlessly integrate content into any tech stack. Unlike traditional CMS platforms that impose rigid rules and constraints, Sanity empowers developers to build custom workflows, interfaces, and delivery pipelines tailored to the unique requirements of each project. With tools like GROQ, its powerful query language, and compatibility with modern frameworks such as Next.js, Astro, and many more, Sanity.io streamlines and enhances the developer experience.

Real-time collaboration

In today’s world of distributed teams, real-time collaboration has become essential. Sanity.io’s collaborative editing features enable content creators, editors, and developers to work together seamlessly in the same environment. Updates are reflected instantly, eliminating bottlenecks and ensuring content remains accurate and up-to-date.

Scalable and structured content

Sanity.io’s structured content model provides businesses with a significant advantage in managing content across multiple channels. Whether it’s a website, mobile app, or digital signage, Sanity ensures content remains consistent, reusable, and adaptable. This approach enables organizations to scale efficiently without the need to duplicate content unnecessarily.

A user-centric CMS

Sanity Studio — an open-source, fully customizable content management interface, delivers an intuitive experience tailored for non-technical users. Unlike other, more traditional platforms that constrain users with predefined workflows, Sanity Studio adapts to the specific requirements of each project. This flexibility ensures a seamless balance between simplicity for editors and robust functionality for developers.

Future-proofing content strategies

Sanity.io’s headless architecture is perfectly aligned with the growing trend toward decoupled front-ends, empowering businesses to control how and where their content is displayed. Leveraging robust APIs and a structured content model, Sanity ensures businesses remain future-ready, seamlessly adapting to emerging technologies and new distribution channels.

Competitive analysis

The content management space is rich with options, each tailored to different audiences and project needs. Platforms like Contentful, Strapi, and WordPress dominate the landscape, but Sanity.io has carved out a unique niche with its real-time collaboration features, structured content model, and developer-centric design.

Below is a comparison between Sanity.io and WordPress — the most popular and widely used CMS on the web.

WordPress vs. Sanity.io

Similarities:

Both platforms offer extensive customization and integration capabilities through plugins or APIs.
WordPress can be used in a headless mode, similar to Sanity.io, enabling content delivery to multiple channels.

Key differences:

Flexibility: WordPress relies on a template-based approach, which is less adaptable to modern multi-channel strategies compared to Sanity.io’s structured content model.
Developer experience: Sanity.io’s API-first architecture and developer tools, such as GROQ and live previews, provide a streamlined, modern development experience. In contrast, WordPress often depends on third-party plugins to achieve similar functionality, adding complexity.
Performance: Sanity.io’s lightweight, API-driven architecture ensures superior performance, especially for dynamic, high-traffic applications. WordPress, by design, can be heavier and less efficient without significant optimization.
User experience: While WordPress features a user-friendly interface, it frequently relies on plugins, which can result in technical debt. In comparison, Sanity Studio offers a clean, customizable, and efficient interface that simplifies content management.
Pricing: WordPress is free. Sanity offers a free tier, but comes with som cost if you scale up.

Pricing

Sanity.io offers three pricing tiers designed to accommodate a wide range of users, from solo developers experimenting with new projects to large enterprises scaling complex operations. These tiers ensure that users of all sizes can find a plan that meets their needs, whether they’re just starting or require advanced features.

Current Pricing Plans:

Free: $0/month. Ideal for individuals experimenting with Sanity.io or launching smaller projects. This plan provides the essential tools needed to explore and test the platform without commitment.
Growth: $15/month per seat. A cost-effective option for teams working on larger, collaborative projects. The Growth plan supports scalability and enhanced collaboration capabilities, making it a great fit for growing teams.
Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing. Tailored for large organizations with complex security, support, and performance requirements. This plan offers enterprise-grade features to ensure seamless operations at scale. Sanity Pricing

Implementation insights

Adopting a new content management platform can be a daunting task, but Sanity.io sets itself apart with its focus on developer-friendly tools, ease of use, and unparalleled flexibility. This section explores the process of setting up Sanity.io, how it can be customized to fit specific project needs, and its developer-centric features.

Ease of Use

Setting up Sanity.io is straightforward, thanks to its modern developer tooling and clear documentation.

Getting started: To create a new Sanity project, all you need is the Sanity CLI. Install it globally, initialize a project, and deploy your first Sanity Studio in just a few commands:

Install Sanity CLI

npm install -g @sanity/cli

Create a new Sanity project

sanity init

Deploy the Studio (optional, but makes it live with a generated url. you can also self-host the Studio)

sanity deploy

Customization & extensibility

Sanity.io is highly customizable, enabling developers to shape the platform to their needs.

Custom schema example: Schemas are the backbone of Sanity.io. You can define your content structure in the /schemas directory using JavaScript. Here’s an example of a schema for a blog post: Sanity documentation - Schemas and forms

export default {
  name: 'post',
  title: 'Blog Post',
  type: 'document',
  fields: [
    {
      name: 'title',
      title: 'Title',
      type: 'string',
    },
    {
      name: 'slug',
      title: 'Slug',
      type: 'slug',
      options: {
        source: 'title',
        maxLength: 96,
      },
    },
    {
      name: 'content',
      title: 'Content',
      type: 'array',
      of: [{ type: 'block' }],
    },
    {
      name: 'publishedAt',
      title: 'Published At',
      type: 'datetime',
    },
  ],
};

GROQ

Graph-Relational Object Queries

Sanity’s GROQ language simplifies querying structured content. Here’s an example of fetching blog posts, sorted by the most recent:

// Example GROQ query
const query = `*[_type == "post"] | order(publishedAt desc) {
  title,
  slug,
  publishedAt,
  "authorName": author->name
}`;

Conclusion

Sanity.io redefines what a modern content management platform can achieve, offering unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and developer-first tools. With its focus on structured content, real-time collaboration, and an API-first approach, Sanity empowers businesses to create, manage, and deliver content with precision and efficiency

The value Sanity.io provides

For developers

Sanity.io delivers a streamlined experience through powerful tools such as the Sanity CLI, the GROQ query language, and seamless integrations with modern frameworks like Next.js, SvelteKit, and Astro. Its highly customizable Studio gives developers full control over how content is managed and delivered across channels.

For teams of content creators

Sanity Studio’s real-time collaboration features and intuitive interface enable editors, marketers, and content creators to work more effectively. Live previews and structured content models ensure consistency and coherence across multiple platforms and channels.

For businesses

Sanity.io’s headless architecture supports multi-channel strategies, enabling businesses to scale their content operations effortlessly across websites, mobile apps, digital signage, and more. By future-proofing content strategies, Sanity ensures seamless adaptation to emerging technologies and platforms.

Who should adopt Sanity.io?

Sanity.io is an ideal solution for:

Agile Startups: Organizations seeking a cost-effective, scalable CMS that can grow alongside their needs.
Enterprises: Large-scale businesses managing complex, multi-channel content with a need for structured content and real-time collaboration.
Creative agencies: Agencies looking for a versatile platform to deliver tailored content solutions across diverse industries.

Final thoughts

Whether you’re building a dynamic web application, managing a multi-channel digital presence, or seeking a CMS that evolves with your business, Sanity.io stands out as a compelling solution. Its combination of developer-friendly tools, an intuitive interface, and robust scalability makes it a leader in the competitive CMS landscape. By empowering teams to create and deliver content without compromise, Sanity.io proves to be an indispensable tool for modern content management.