Rebase vs Strapi
Strapi owns the schema: content types are created in Strapi, in Strapi's tables, and the database is an implementation detail. Rebase points at a Postgres you already have and works with the tables it finds. That is a difference in kind, and it decides which one is right for you before any feature does.
Its tables, or yours
Where it hurts
Strapi models dynamic zones and relations through generated join tables and metadata of its own (components_*). That is a reasonable design for a CMS that owns its schema — but it means a BI tool or a raw SQL query reads Strapi's shape rather than yours, and migrating content out goes through the API rather than the tables.
What Rebase does instead
Rebase uses Postgres-native definitions, powered by Drizzle ORM.
- The table structures stay readable — the way a developer would have written them.
- Connects to an existing database. You do not have to start from scratch.
- No lock-in, because your data stays queryable by any standard tool.
Moving between environments
Where it hurts
Moving custom endpoints, content types and permissions from a local Strapi to production has historically been a manual step, and manual steps are where deployments lose data.
What Rebase does instead
Rebase runs entirely on a schema-as-code model.
- Rebase Studio writes its edits back into your TypeScript through AST modifications you can read in the diff.
- Drizzle handles the database migration behind one CLI command.
- Environments stay in step through GitHub commits, not database copy-pasting.
Restarts and reloads
Where it hurts
Strapi restarts the server when a content type changes, and reacting to lifecycle events means working through its own configuration files.
What Rebase does instead
Rebase is one TypeScript service, so a schema change is a hot reload.
- Save a collection file and the dev server regenerates the schema and the SDK, then reloads in place.
- A standard Hono server and ordinary React components, not a monolith.
- Custom behaviour is an API route you write, not a plugin API you learn.
Do not switch
When to stay on Strapi
When the primary users are content editors and you want a polished editorial experience out of the box, or when you need one of the plugins in its marketplace. Strapi has spent years on that surface. Rebase is the better answer when the application is the point and the back office has to follow the schema rather than define it.
Rebase and Strapi, answered
Can I point Rebase at the database behind my Strapi project?
Yes, if it is PostgreSQL. Rebase reads existing tables rather than creating its own, so Strapi's content tables are readable as collections. Be aware that Strapi models some relations through its own join tables and metadata, so you will be describing the shape you actually want rather than importing Strapi's internal model wholesale.
Is Rebase a headless CMS?
Not exactly, and the difference matters when choosing. A headless CMS owns the schema and hands you content through its API. Rebase is a backend: your Postgres schema stays yours, the API and the admin panel are both generated from it, and content management is one of the things the panel happens to be good at rather than the whole product.
What about the plugin ecosystem?
This is where Strapi is ahead and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise — its marketplace is far larger. Rebase extends differently: the admin panel is React, and any custom field, view or page you can build in React drops into it with access to the internal hooks. That suits a team that already writes React, and suits a team that wants to install a plugin much less well.
When is Strapi the better choice?
When the primary users are content editors and you want a polished editorial experience out of the box, or when you need one of the plugins in its marketplace. Strapi has spent years on that surface. Rebase is the better answer when the application is the point and the back office has to follow the schema rather than define it.
How is authorization different?
Strapi has a role and permission system inside the application. Rebase compiles its access rules to PostgreSQL row-level security, so the rules are enforced by the database for every client, not only for requests that arrive through the framework. If somebody connects with psql, the policies are still there.
Do I have to self-host Rebase?
No. Self-host it and you own the data, the code and the machine it runs on — that is the default and it is fully supported. Or deploy the same project to Rebase Cloud, which is live with real tenants today and opening in batches while it is in private beta, priced per resource rather than per seat. Your code is identical either way; hosting is a deployment target, not a fork.
Don't take our word for it.
The comparison that matters is the one you run. Point Rebase at a Postgres database you already have and see how it holds up next to Strapi.