Building a Modern Blog with Next.js and MDX

In this tutorial, we'll explore how to build a modern, performant blog using Next.js 16 and MDX. This setup gives you the best of both worlds: the simplicity of Markdown with the power of React components.

Why MDX?

MDX allows you to:

• Write content in Markdown
• Import and use React components
• Create interactive documentation
• Maintain type safety with TypeScript

Project Structure

Here's the ideal structure for your blog:

/content/posts      # MDX blog posts
/lib/posts.ts       # Server-side utilities
/app/blog           # Blog routes
/components         # Reusable components

Features

1. Frontmatter Support

Every blog post includes metadata:

---
title: "Your Post Title"
date: "2025-11-24"
description: "Post description"
tags: ["tag1", "tag2"]
---

2. Automatic Reading Time

Reading time is calculated automatically using the reading-time package.

3. SEO Optimization

All posts include:

• Meta tags
• Open Graph images
• Twitter Cards
• Canonical URLs

Code Examples

TypeScript Example

interface Post {
  slug: string
  metadata: PostMetadata
  content: string
}

export function getAllPosts(): Post[] {
  // Implementation
}

Styling with Tailwind

<div className="prose dark:prose-invert max-w-none">
  {content}
</div>

Deployment

Deploy to Vercel with zero configuration:

1. Push to GitHub
2. Import to Vercel
3. Deploy automatically

Conclusion

This setup provides a solid foundation for a modern blog with excellent performance and developer experience.

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Happy blogging! 🚀