Creating a modern blog involves selecting the right tools to provide a seamless experience for both developers and users. After researching various options, I decided to use WordPress as a headless CMS and Next.js for the front end. Here’s a detailed look at how I achieved this integration.
Why WordPress and Next.js?
WordPress is a popular content management system known for its ease of use, rich plugin ecosystem, and strong community support. By using WordPress as a headless CMS, I can manage my content in a familiar interface while delivering it via an API to a modern front end.
Next.js is a React-based framework that offers server-side rendering, static site generation, and many other features that make it ideal for building fast, SEO-friendly websites. It provides a great developer experience with features like fast refresh, built-in CSS support, and API routes.
Setting Up WordPress as a Headless CMS
- Install WordPress: First, I set up a WordPress instance. This can be done locally using tools like Local by Flywheel or on a live server.
- Install Necessary Plugins: To use WordPress as a headless CMS, I installed the following plugins:
- WPGraphQL: This plugin provides a GraphQL API for WordPress, allowing for easy querying of the content.
- Advanced Custom Field (ACF): If you need custom post types, this plugin simplifies their creation and management.
- Configure Permalinks: I ensured that permalinks were set to a user-friendly structure (e.g., /%postname%/) for better API endpoint organization.
Building the Front End with Next.js
- Create a Next.js Project: I initialized a new Next.js project using the command npx create-next-app@latest my-blog.
- Install Dependencies: To interact with the WordPress GraphQL API, I installed graphql and @apollo/client.
- Set Up Apollo Client: I configured Apollo Client to connect to the WordPress GraphQL endpoint.
- Fetch Data from WordPress: I created a GraphQL query to fetch posts and displayed them on the homepage.
- Add Routing for Individual Posts: I added dynamic routing to display individual posts by creating a /blog/[slug]/page.tsx folder in the app directory.
Deploying the Blog
- Hosting WordPress: I hosted my WordPress instance on a managed WordPress hosting service (Babal Host) to ensure reliability and performance.
- Deploying Next.js: I chose Vercel for deploying the Next.js app due to its seamless integration and excellent performance. Deployment can be done directly from the GitHub repository with minimal configuration.
Conclusion
Using WordPress as a headless CMS with Next.js for the front end offers the best of both worlds: a powerful content management system and a fast, modern front end. This setup provides flexibility, scalability, and a great developer experience. Whether you’re building a blog or a more complex application, this combination can help you create a robust, high-performance website.