ButterCMS API (2.0.0)

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Overview and Core Features

Collections serve as your structured data foundation, providing tables of organized content designed for reference by Pages or direct API queries. Collections excel at managing reusable data that supports and enhances your primary content.

Core Collection Characteristics

• ID-based Retrieval: Numeric ID identification system for precise, efficient data access
• Optimized Structure: Streamlined schemas focused on data integrity and query performance
• Reference-Oriented: Designed primarily to be referenced by Pages and other content types
• Simplified Management: Straightforward field structures without component complexity
• Flexible Schemas: Completely customizable field definitions to match your data requirements

Collections vs. Pages Comparison

• No Components: Collections do not support individual components, component picker fields, or component libraries
• No Repeaters: Collections cannot use repeater field types that allow multiple instances of field structures
• No Form Integrations: Direct form service integrations are not available for Collections
• Simpler Updates: Streamlined update patterns without component-specific update behaviors
• Performance Focus: Optimized for faster querying and smaller response sizes

Ideal Use Cases

• Categories and Tags: Organizational taxonomies for content classification
• Team Members: Staff directories with contact information, roles, and expertise
• Product Catalogs: Basic product information that Pages can reference and expand upon
• Location Data: Store and office information for multi-location organizations
• Reference Lists: Any structured data that enhances content without requiring complex layouts

Content Publication States

Collections follow the same unified publication state system as other ButterCMS content types, with implementation details optimized for data management workflows.

• Draft State: Collection items can be created and edited in draft status, allowing data validation and review processes before making content live. Draft items are accessible only through preview mode, enabling data verification workflows.
• Published State: Published collection items are available through standard API endpoints and can be referenced by Pages and other content. Published collections benefit from full CDN caching and global distribution for optimal performance.
• Scheduled State: Collection items support scheduled publication for time-based data release, enabling coordinated content launches and editorial calendar integration.

Publication Workflow

Collection publication states integrate seamlessly with Page and Blog publication workflows, allowing coordinated content releases where Pages can reference Collections that publish simultaneously.

State Management

Collection items support standard state transitions (draft to published, published to draft, scheduled publication) through both dashboard interface and Write API operations.

Previewing

Preview functionality enables data validation and quality assurance for draft collection items before publication, supporting content review processes and data accuracy verification.

Collections Preview Strategy

Enable preview mode in development, staging, and testing environments by adding preview=1 to Collection API requests. This allows teams to validate draft collection items in application context before publication.

Data Validation Workflow

1. Create or update collection items in draft status
2. Use preview mode to fetch draft items through API calls
3. Validate data structure, content accuracy, and integration behavior
4. Review how draft items appear when referenced by Pages
5. Publish collection items after validation confirms expected behavior

Environment Integration

Consider implementing environment-based configuration that automatically includes the preview parameter in non-production environments, enabling seamless data validation workflows across different deployment contexts.

Reference Preview

When previewing Pages that reference Collections, use preview mode to ensure both the Page draft and any referenced Collection drafts are displayed accurately, providing complete content preview scenarios.

API Behavior

When preview=1 is included in Collection API requests, ButterCMS returns the latest draft version of collection items rather than published versions, enabling comprehensive content validation workflows.

Reference Architecture

Collections serve as both reference targets and reference sources within ButterCMS's content relationship system, enabling sophisticated data organization and content connections.

Collection-to-Page References

Collection items can reference Pages using page slugs, creating bidirectional content relationships that support navigation, feature highlighting, and content discovery patterns.

Implementation Patterns

• Featured Content: "featured_page": "landing-page-slug" for highlighting specific pages
• Related Resources: "related_pages": ["guide-1-slug", "guide-2-slug"] for content series
• Landing Page Association: "product_page": "product-details-slug" for e-commerce integration

Collection-to-Collection References

Collection items can reference other collection items using numeric IDs, enabling hierarchical data structures and complex organizational patterns.

Organizational Examples

• Hierarchical Categories: "parent_category": 123 for taxonomy structures
• Related Items: "related_products": [456, 789, 101] for cross-selling and recommendations
• Team Relationships: "department": 234 for organizational structure
• Location Hierarchies: "region": 345 for geographic organization

Collection Reference Management

Adding References

Provide appropriate identifiers in Write API requests—page slugs for Page references, numeric IDs for Collection references. The system validates reference targets during processing.

Removing References

Clear relationships using appropriate empty values:

• Empty string (""): Removes one-to-one relationships
• Empty array ([]): Removes one-to-many relationships
• Null value (null): Removes either relationship type

Update Behavior

• PATCH requests: Omitted reference fields remain unchanged, enabling selective relationship updates
• PUT requests: Provide all fields including references; full replacement semantics apply to Collections

Reference Validation

Collection reference fields are validated to ensure target content exists and is accessible, preventing broken relationships in your content architecture.

Reference Levels

The levels parameter controls reference field depth in Collection API responses, optimizing data delivery for different use cases while managing response size and performance.

Parameter Configuration for Collections

• Default: levels=2 provides complete referenced data for most collection use cases
• Range: 1-5 (values outside this range are automatically adjusted)
• Level 1: Reference fields return API URIs only (optimal for collection listings)
• Level 2+: Reference fields return complete object data (ideal for detailed displays)
• Level 5 (max): Returns URIs for any remaining references beyond specified depth

Collection-Specific Performance Guidelines

• Use levels=1 for collection listings or when building dropdown/select options
• Use levels=2 (default) for individual collection item display with reference context
• Use levels=3-5 when displaying collections with deep reference chains
• Pagination Considerations: Use levels=1 for paginated collection lists to minimize serialization overhead

Response Format Examples

Level 1 Response (URIs for minimal data transfer)

Level 2+ Response (Complete objects for rich data access)

Cross-Content Type References

The levels parameter works consistently whether references point to Pages or other Collections, providing predictable behavior across your entire content architecture.

Localization and Best Practices

Localization

Multi-language support enables Collections to serve international content strategies with locale-specific data while maintaining consistent schemas and reference relationships.

Account Configuration

Locale support must be configured in your ButterCMS account settings before creating multi-language collections. Each locale uses an API slug (such as en, es, fr) defined during account setup.

Important Limitation: Once locales are added to an account, they cannot be removed. Plan your internationalization approach carefully before configuration to avoid schema constraints.

Content Versions

Collections can maintain separate content versions for each configured locale, allowing the same data structure to serve different language markets while preserving field schemas and reference relationships.

API Integration Patterns

• Specify locale: Add locale=en parameter to retrieve collection items in specific language
• Default locale: Omit parameter to receive content in your organization's default locale
• Write API: Create localized versions by providing locale-specific field data in write requests

Reference Localization: Reference fields work seamlessly with localization, allowing different reference relationships for different language versions. This enables locale-specific data associations, region-appropriate content relationships, and localized organizational structures.

Collection Localization Use Cases

• Product Catalogs: International product information with localized descriptions, pricing, and availability
• Team Directories: Multi-regional staff information with localized roles and contact details
• Category Systems: Taxonomies adapted to regional content organization and cultural preferences
• Location Data: Multi-language address information, operating hours, and regional service details

Field Data Organization

Collections support two localization formats:

• Single-language: Use direct field values for accounts without localization enabled
• Multi-language: Nest field data under locale codes for accounts with localization (e.g., fields organized by "en", "es", "fr" keys)

Best Practices

Localization Best Practices

• Consistent References: Maintain reference relationships across locales where appropriate, or create locale-specific references when regional variations are needed
• Data Validation: Validate localized collection data to ensure completeness across all configured locales
• Reference Planning: Design reference patterns that work effectively across different language and cultural contexts

Performance Optimization

• Use appropriate levels parameters: Start with levels=1 for listing operations and increase only when necessary
• Implement pagination: For large collections, use pagination to maintain responsive API performance
• Cache strategically: Leverage ButterCMS CDN caching for frequently accessed collection data

Content Architecture

• Design for scale: Plan collection schemas that can accommodate future data requirements
• Reference strategy: Create logical reference patterns that support your content relationships
• Validation planning: Use appropriate field validation to maintain data quality across collection items