Hey everyone! I’m looking for advice on how to show data from Airtable using their API. Right now we’ve got a custom PHP setup, but I want to switch to a proper CMS for our whole site. We use Airtable to show events and other info.
I’m thinking about trying Laravel, Webflow, Next.js, or maybe a headless WordPress setup. But I’m not sure which way to go.
Has anyone here actually used any of these with Airtable? What worked well for you? What didn’t? Any tips or things to watch out for?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your real-world experiences. It would help a ton with making this decision. Thanks in advance for any insights you can share!
I’ve worked with Airtable API integration using Next.js, and it’s been a solid choice. The serverless functions in Next.js make it easy to handle API requests securely. Plus, the React ecosystem offers plenty of libraries for data visualization if you need that.
One thing to watch out for is rate limiting with Airtable’s API. We implemented caching to reduce API calls and improve performance. Also, consider using Airtable’s webhook feature for real-time updates if that’s important for your use case.
If you’re comfortable with JavaScript and want a modern, fast-loading site, Next.js could be a good fit. Just be prepared for a learning curve if you’re coming from PHP. The developer experience is great once you get the hang of it.
I’ve had success integrating Airtable with a headless WordPress setup. It offers a nice balance between familiarity and flexibility. We used the WordPress REST API to expose Airtable data, which worked smoothly for our events calendar.
One challenge we faced was keeping the data in sync. We ended up creating a custom plugin to handle periodic syncing and caching to minimize API calls. This improved performance significantly.
The big advantage was that our content team could still use the WordPress admin they were familiar with, while we had the freedom to build a custom frontend. We chose React for that, but you could use any framework.
If you’re already comfortable with WordPress, this approach might be worth considering. It does require some custom development, but it’s quite powerful once set up.
i’ve used webflow with airtable and it’s pretty sweet. the cms collections can sync with airtable tables, which makes updating content a breeze. just watch out for the 10k item limit in webflow collections.
one downside is limited customization for complex data structures. but for simpler stuff like events, it works great. plus, the visual design tools are awesome for non-coders on ur team.