Introducing LaunchPad: Strapi's New and Improved Demo App

As part of our Strapi 5 Launch Week, we’re unveiling exciting new features each day. On Monday, we introduced the Draft & Publish and Content History features, giving more control over content management. On Tuesday, we highlighted Developer Experience improvements to enhance the developer workflow. On Wednesday, we focused on Performance and Type Safety with Vite and TypeScript.

And today, we’re thrilled to introduce LaunchPad, Strapi’s new demo app designed to showcase Strapi 5’s capabilities with a modern frontend and advanced features.

For years, FoodAdvisor has been your go-to demo app to explore Strapi’s capabilities, reaching 1K+ stars on GitHub. It’s helped you understand how Strapi and a headless CMS works. As the platform continues to evolve, so should the demo experience. That’s why we’re excited to introduce LaunchPad, a brand-new open source demo application based on Strapi 5 with more advanced features, and a modern frontend with powerful UI components.

A More Advanced Demo for Real-World Use

LaunchPad is designed to show you Strapi’s full potential, highlighting the latest features and giving you a more comprehensive look at what you can build. It’s made to help you understand how Strapi can scale and adapt to meet your project needs.

Saying Goodbye to FoodAdvisor

If you’ve been using FoodAdvisor, you know it as a simplified TripAdvisor-like demo for restaurants, built with Strapi and a Next.js front-end. It featured dynamic zones, collection types, role-based access control (RBAC), and internationalization (i18n), giving developers like you a good overview of Strapi’s core features.

But as Strapi and the frontend landscape evolved, so did the need for a more powerful, feature-rich demo app. That’s where LaunchPad comes in. It’s designed to provide a much deeper dive into Strapi’s latest capabilities, so you can quickly see the content modeling and architecture best practices of a Strapi-powered website.

LaunchPad: The new Official Strapi Demo App

LaunchPad isn’t just an upgrade to Strapi 5 and Nextjs 14 —it’s a complete redesign of the frontend with TailwindCSS and Aceternity. Built with a cleaner structure and more modern UI components LaunchPad gives you a great overview of what using Strapi looks and feels like for backend, frontend development and content management. Whether you're new to Strapi or have been using it for a while, LaunchPad will help you better understand how Strapi can adapt to fit projects of all sizes.

What LaunchPad Offers and How It Improves on FoodAdvisor

LaunchPad is packed with essential features to help you explore Strapi, along with several key improvements over FoodAdvisor. Here’s what you can expect:

What’s Included in LaunchPad:

• Pre-configured Strapi setup: LaunchPad is ready to use out of the box, with everything you need to get started, from content creation to API interactions.
• Complete content workflows: It comes with built-in demonstrations of Strapi’s collection and single types, components, dynamic zones, internationalization (i18n), and media library. Everything is pre-configured so you can explore without any extra setup.
• Role-based access control (RBAC): Manage user permissions with ease, simulating how you would control access in a real-world application.
• Internationalization (i18n): Create and manage content in multiple languages and regions, with pre-configured examples to show you how it works in practice.

What’s Improved Over FoodAdvisor:

• New Strapi 5 Features: LaunchPad introduces key updates like Content History, letting you easily track changes and revert to previous versions of your content. The upgraded Draft & Publish system allows for smoother content management—work on drafts and only publish when everything’s ready. These tools give you more control over your workflow, making revisions and publishing simpler.
• Rebuilt Next.js Application: We've reworked the demo app using the Aceternity UI to show what a Strapi-powered site can really do. In collaboration with Manu Arora, founder of Aceternity , we built a brand-new frontend with a theme that better reflects Strapi today. This custom app connects seamlessly with Strapi to power the new official Strapi 5 demo.
• 100% TypeScript: Unlike FoodAdvisor which is full JavaScript, LaunchPad is fully written in TypeScript as it's based on Strapi 5 which has moved from being written in plain JavaScript to being almost entirely TypeScript.

These updates make LaunchPad a more powerful, flexible, and practical demo for developers who want to see Strapi’s full capabilities in action.

And the best part is that it's fully open source. Check out the LaunchPad repository on GitHub and feel free to give it a ⭐ if you like what you see!

Built with a Modern Tech Stack

LaunchPad is built on a modern tech stack, making sure it’s fast, scalable, and aligned with current development best practices. Whether you're working on your front-end or exploring the back-end, you’ll experience improved performance and flexibility.

• Strapi 5
• Next.js 14
• Aceternity UI
• Tailwind CSS

Join Us for the Strapi 5 Launch Stream and Community Call on October 8th

To celebrate the launch of Strapi 5, we invite you to join us for a special Strapi Stream and community call on October 8th. This is your chance to connect with the team and learn more about what's new in Strapi 5. We'll be covering the latest updates, discussing how to migrate your projects smoothly, and diving into the new Plugin CLI. It's also the perfect opportunity to ask any questions you might have during our open Q&A session.

📅 Date: October 8th

Global Strapi 5 Launch Parties – Join One Near You

To make the launch of Strapi 5 even more special, our global partners are organizing exclusive launch parties around the world. These events are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the release, network with other Strapi users, and get firsthand insights from our partners. Whether you’re a seasoned Strapi expert or new to the platform, you’ll find great conversations, live demos, and exciting content at these gatherings.

Find a launch party near you and join in the celebrations!

Why Choose a LaunchPad CMS?

A LaunchPad CMS like Strapi offers customization, flexibility, and ease of use, essential for building robust applications. It supports rapid deployment, scalability, and seamless integration with various technologies. Developers can customize content structures, manage APIs, and ensure efficient content management.

How LaunchPad CMS Works

A LaunchPad CMS leverages API integration, facilitating development by connecting to any frontend framework and integrating with third-party services. Content management becomes streamlined with tools like the Content Types Builder and Media Library.

How to Choose the Right LaunchPad CMS

Selecting a CMS involves evaluating features like customization options, integration capabilities, and user management. Ensure compatibility with frontend frameworks and third-party services, and assess its fit with your current tech stack.

Implementing LaunchPad CMS

Ensure seamless integration by mapping current systems, using middleware, and conducting thorough testing. Optimize team collaboration with clear roles and permissions, training, and feedback loops. Secure your CMS with regular updates, access controls, and data encryption.

Try LaunchPad Today

It’s time for you to experience LaunchPad for yourself. Whether you’re just getting started with Strapi or looking to explore its more advanced features, LaunchPad is the perfect tool to show you how Strapi can help you build better, faster, and more scalable applications. Dive in today and discover what Strapi can do for you.

Try LaunchPad Today