Overview
How It Works
Features & RoadmapGetting StartedResourcesFAQs
Optical
How It Works
Overview
How It Works
Features & Roadmap
Getting Started
Resources
FAQs
dev-portal-icon / PRODUCTS / Content Management / Optical / How It Works

How It Works

Optical separates your content from your website's design. Your content team manages pages, text, and media in the CMS. Your developers build the website frontend using Optical's API to pull content in.

Two web hosting options

  GovTech-Hosted via Airbase Agency-Hosted
What it means We host your public website You host your public website in your own environment
Best for Most agencies — get up and running without managing web infrastructure Agencies that need to connect to GEN or Common Services VPC, or require custom DDoS protection or CDN setups
You're responsible for Your frontend code and its performance testing Your frontend code and its performance testing + your web hosting environment + VAPT for your server

Both options include a hosted CMS managed by Optical, API access, a Next.js starter kit, and full documentation.

Optical is no longer accepting new Optical Basic projects.

Existing Optical Basic users will continue to be supported. For new simple, no-code websites, consider WebSG.

All new projects use Optical (formerly Optical Flex).

Last updated 26 May 2026

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