Look, I need to be honest with you about Strapi plugins. Unlike WordPress where there’s a plugin for literally everything, Strapi’s ecosystem is still growing. That means you’ll find some brilliant solutions alongside half-finished projects that haven’t been updated in two years.
I’ve watched teams waste weeks trying to get the “perfect” plugin setup only to realize they needed three different plugins to do what one WordPress plugin could handle. But I’ve also seen the right plugins transform a basic Strapi installation into something incredibly powerful.
Let me walk you through the plugins that actually deliver on their promises and save you from the ones that will drive you crazy.
The “You’ll Regret Not Installing These” Plugins
GraphQL: The Game Changer
If you’re not using GraphQL with Strapi, you’re missing out on one of its biggest advantages. The REST API is fine, but GraphQL lets you fetch exactly the data you need in a single request.
I watched a developer reduce their mobile app’s API calls from 15 to 3 just by switching to GraphQL. Faster loading, less server load, happier users. It’s a no-brainer if you’re building anything beyond a simple blog.
Documentation (Swagger): Your Future Self Will Thank You
Six months from now, when you’re trying to remember how your API works, you’ll either have documentation or you’ll be reverse-engineering your own code. Swagger generates interactive API docs automatically, which means your documentation is always up-to-date and actually useful.
One team I worked with onboarded a new developer in two days instead of two weeks because they had proper API documentation. That’s real money saved.
i18n (Internationalization): Start Global, Stay Global
Even if you’re only serving one language today, installing i18n early saves you from a massive headache later. I’ve seen companies spend months retrofitting their entire content structure because they didn’t think about multi-language support from the beginning.
The plugin makes managing translations straightforward, and your content editors will actually use it instead of creating workarounds that break everything.
Security That Actually Protects You
Users & Permissions: The Foundation
This should be installed by default on every Strapi project. It gives you granular control over who can do what in your admin panel. Without it, everyone is either an admin or they can’t do anything useful.
I’ve seen too many projects where content creators had admin access because there was no middle ground. That’s a security disaster waiting to happen.
Magic Link Auth: Passwordless for the Win
Password fatigue is real, and your users hate creating yet another account. Magic link authentication lets people log in with just their email – no password required. It’s more secure than most people’s password habits and infinitely more convenient.
One e-commerce site saw their user registration rate increase by 40% after implementing magic links. Less friction means more conversions.
Media Management That Doesn’t Suck
Cloudinary: Stop Worrying About Images
If you’re storing images directly on your server, you’re doing it wrong. Cloudinary handles image optimization, resizing, and delivery through a CDN. Your images load faster, your server doesn’t crash when someone uploads a 10MB photo, and your users get a better experience.
The plugin integrates seamlessly with Strapi’s media library, so your content editors don’t even know they’re using a third-party service.
AWS S3 Upload: The Scalable Solution
For projects that need to handle lots of media files, S3 is the gold standard. The plugin makes integration painless, and you get the reliability and scalability of AWS without the complexity.
One media company I worked with was spending $300/month on server storage. They switched to S3 and now pay $30/month for better performance and reliability.
The Developer Sanity Plugins
Config Sync: Deploy Without Fear
Nothing’s worse than setting up your production environment and realizing your content types don’t match your development setup. Config Sync keeps your environments in sync automatically.
I’ve seen deployments fail because someone forgot to update a content type in production. This plugin eliminates that entire category of problems.
Content Versioning: The Undo Button for Content
Content creators make mistakes. Sometimes they accidentally delete important content or make changes they regret. Content versioning gives you a safety net – you can roll back to previous versions without losing your mind.
Sentry: Know When Things Break
Your users will find bugs before you do. Sentry tells you about errors as they happen, with enough context to actually fix them. It’s like having a monitoring system that actually helps instead of just sending you cryptic alerts.
The Performance Boosters
Meilisearch: Search That Actually Works
Strapi’s built-in search is… basic. Meilisearch provides instant, typo-tolerant search that your users will actually want to use. It’s fast, relevant, and easy to implement.
I’ve seen e-commerce sites increase their conversion rate by 15% just by implementing better search. When people can find what they’re looking for, they’re more likely to buy it.
The Plugins to Avoid (For Now)
Half-Baked Solutions
Be careful with plugins that have fewer than 1,000 downloads or haven’t been updated in the last six months. The Strapi ecosystem is still maturing, and some plugins are more proof-of-concept than production-ready.
Over-Engineering Traps
Don’t install every plugin that looks cool. Each plugin is another potential point of failure, another thing to maintain, and another complexity to manage. Start with the essentials and add more as you actually need them.
The Real Strategy Behind Plugin Selection
Start with the Must-Haves
GraphQL, Documentation, Users & Permissions, and your media storage solution (Cloudinary or S3). These solve fundamental problems that every project faces.
Add Based on Actual Needs
Don’t install the Comments plugin unless you actually need comments. Don’t set up i18n unless you’re planning to support multiple languages. Every plugin you don’t install is one less thing that can break.
Test Everything in Development
Plugins can conflict with each other in weird ways. Test your plugin combination thoroughly in development before deploying to production. I’ve seen “simple” plugin installations break entire sites.
The Bottom Line
Strapi plugins can transform your CMS from basic to brilliant, but they require careful selection and management. The ecosystem isn’t as mature as WordPress, which means you need to be more strategic about what you install.
Focus on plugins that solve real problems you’re actually facing, not hypothetical problems you might face someday. Start with the essentials, add functionality as you need it, and always test thoroughly.
The goal isn’t to have the most plugins – it’s to have the right plugins that make your project more successful and your life easier. Choose wisely, and your Strapi installation will serve you well for years to come.
For any inquiries or assistance with headless CMS development, feel free to get in touch with WeCreate Digital Agency. Our team of experienced developers is ready to help you harness the full potential of headless CMS for your web projects. Happy coding!
