Layout service API

Using the Page layout service API, you can manage the communication between Single Page Applications (SPAs) and your Sitefinity CMS backend. In this scenario, Sitefinity CMS no longer handles the frontend rendering of your pages and content. Instead, you write a dedicated frontend application (SPA) that accesses the content and the layout from the backend. The Page layout service API handles the communication between such apps and the Sitefinity CMS backend using standard OData REST API.

To ensure that your frontend app can access the content from the Sitefinity CMS instance, perform the following:

1. Log in Sitefinity CMS backend with an administrative account.
2. In Sitefinity CMS backend, navigate to Administration » Web services.
3. Click the Default web service.
4. Inside section Who can access the content by this service?, select Everyone.
5. In Allow access from other domains, set the domain where you host your frontend app. For example - http://frontend.sitefinity.com. You can use * to allow access from all domains.
6. Click Save changes.

For more information, see Web services.

RESULT: The Page layout service is activated and ready to serve content to your apps.

After you have set up your Sitefinity CMS instance, you can develop your frontend application.
Now you can develop on your preferred frontend technology. The Sitefinity GitHub repository contains the following samples for alternative frontend Renderers:

• Angular Renderer Sample
• React Renderer Sample
  

You may use these samples to learn the Page layout service API and how to integrate it into your frontend app.

To learn how to use the Page layout API, see Page layout operations.