---
type: entity
tags: [parking, rejected, stack]
sources: [parking-system-architecture]
updated: 2026-06-14
---

# Payload CMS (rejected)

A genuinely strong option that was **rejected** as the backend. (See
[[parking-system-architecture]] §2.)

- It has real strengths: free admin UI, built-in auth/RBAC, runs on Node so it *can* host
  device drivers via init hooks.
- **Primary reason rejected: the v3 license shift to BSL** (source-available, not open source).
  For a long-lived business system, a vendor that can change licensing terms underneath you is
  an unacceptable risk. This is the cautionary case behind the whole stack's
  "vendor-agnostic, rug-pull-proof" preference (see [[technology-stack]]).
- Secondary concerns: it's a CMS at heart (weaker on real-time/event-driven workloads), and
  Next.js is heavier than needed here.

Related rejected alternatives: [[refine]], [[logto-zitadel-oidc]].