A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a blog with MDX is a powerful way to combine the simplicity of Markdown with the flexibility of React components. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to set up a blog using MDX, from project setup to deploying your blog. Let’s get started!

1. Set Up Your Next.js Project

To begin, you need a Next.js project. If you don’t have one yet, follow these steps to create it:

1. Create a New Next.js Project:

   npx create-next-app@latest my-mdx-blog
   cd my-mdx-blog
   

2. Install Required Packages: You’ll need next-mdx-remote for rendering MDX content and @next/mdx for handling MDX files.

   npm install next-mdx-remote @next/mdx
   

2. Configure MDX in Next.js

To use MDX files in your Next.js project, configure it as follows:

1. Update next.config.js: Add MDX support to your Next.js configuration file:

   // next.config.js
   const withMDX = require('@next/mdx')({
     extension: /\.mdx?$/,
   });
   
   module.exports = withMDX({
     pageExtensions: ['js', 'jsx', 'ts', 'tsx', 'md', 'mdx'],
   });
   

2. Add MDX Files to Your Project: Create a directory called posts (or any name you prefer) inside the pages directory to store your MDX files.

3. Create an MDX Blog Post

1. Create a Sample MDX File: Inside your posts directory, create an MDX file, for example, my-first-post.mdx:

   # My First MDX Blog Post
   
   Welcome to my first blog post using MDX! Here’s how you can create and style content.
   
   <Image src="/placeholder.jpg" alt="Placeholder Image" width={600} height={400} />
   
   ## Adding Components
   
   You can also add React components directly in your MDX content:
   
   <MyComponent title="Hello, World!" />
   
   ## Conclusion
   
   MDX allows you to write content in Markdown and enhance it with React components, giving you flexibility and power in content creation.
   

2. Create a Sample Component: If you want to use custom components in your MDX files, create one, for example, components/MyComponent.js:

   // components/MyComponent.js
   const MyComponent = ({ title }) => (
     <div>
       <h2>{title}</h2>
       <p>This is a custom React component used in MDX.</p>
     </div>
   );
   
   export default MyComponent;
   

4. Fetch and Render MDX Content

1. Fetch MDX Files: Create a utility function to fetch and parse MDX files. For example, in lib/posts.js:

   import fs from 'fs';
   import path from 'path';
   import { promisify } from 'util';
   import { serialize } from 'next-mdx-remote/serialize';
   
   const readFile = promisify(fs.readFile);
   
   export async function getPostBySlug(slug) {
     const filePath = path.join(process.cwd(), 'pages/posts', `${slug}.mdx`);
     const fileContent = await readFile(filePath, 'utf8');
     const { content, data } = await serialize(fileContent);
   
     return { content, data };
   }
   

2. Create a Dynamic Route for Blog Posts: In pages/posts/[slug].js, fetch and render the MDX content:

   // pages/posts/[slug].js
   import { MDXRemote } from 'next-mdx-remote';
   import { getPostBySlug } from '../../lib/posts';
   import MyComponent from '../../components/MyComponent';
   
   const components = { MyComponent };
   
   export default function Post({ content, data }) {
     return (
       <article>
         <h1>{data.title}</h1>
         <MDXRemote {...content} components={components} />
       </article>
     );
   }
   
   export async function getStaticProps({ params }) {
     const { content, data } = await getPostBySlug(params.slug);
     return { props: { content, data } };
   }
   
   export async function getStaticPaths() {
     // Fetch all MDX file names and generate paths
     return { paths: [], fallback: false };
   }
   

5. Deploy Your Blog

1. Deploy to Vercel: Connect your GitHub repository to Vercel and deploy your Next.js project. Vercel will handle the build and deployment process automatically.

2. Update Your Blog: Continue to add new MDX files to the posts directory to update your blog.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve set up a blog using MDX with Next.js. You can now write content in Markdown, integrate React components, and deploy your blog with ease. Customize the styling, add more features, and keep writing engaging content for your audience.

For further customization and advanced features, explore the Next.js documentation and MDX documentation. Happy blogging!