DatoCMS vs Webflow

DatoCMS

The Content Management API publishes a JSON Hyper-Schema for 202 operations, 100 documented error codes and rate-limit headers, and the hosted MCP server adds OAuth with three access levels. There are no idempotency keys, the only official client library is JavaScript, audit logs are Enterprise only, and prices are in euros with no machine payment route.

Webflow

The Data API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 spec with 140 operations, scoped OAuth and site tokens, and CMS items that stay drafts until a separate publish call. The MCP server loads 34 multi-action tools and can't create new localised CMS items. The free plan holds 50 CMS items, and the activity log needs the $2,500 Team plan.

DatoCMS

1. Send X-Api-Version: 3 and Accept: application/json on every request, with Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json on writes
2. Records are items, models are item_types and assets are uploads in every path and payload
3. Save a record, then call the publish endpoint as a separate PUT. Send meta.current_version on updates and re-fetch on STALE_ITEM_VERSION
4. Stay under 60 requests every 3 seconds. On 429 wait the seconds in x-ratelimit-reset, and retry any error whose body has transient set to true
5. Fork a sandbox environment for schema changes and promote it when checked. Use POST /items/validate to test a payload without saving it

Webflow

1. Send the token as Authorization: Bearer to https://api.webflow.com/v2. Ask for cms:read and cms:write only, plus sites:write if the task publishes
2. Create or update items first, then call Publish Items or Publish Site. An item with isDraft true and a lastPublished date is live with unpublished changes
3. Stay under 60 requests a minute on Starter and Basic and 120 on Premium, read X-RateLimit-Remaining, and wait for Retry-After on 429
4. Page item lists with limit (maximum 100) and offset, and filter with filter[<fieldSlug>][<operator>], up to 10 terms
5. Upload an asset in two steps (create the asset with a file hash, then POST the bytes to the presigned URL). Write localised content with the item's cmsLocaleId