Next.js Blog with Draft Mode

The Next.js and Contentful Statically Generated Blog example is a project template that demonstrates how to create a statically generated blog using Next.js as the framework and Contentful as the data source. This example offers a step-by-step guide on how to set up the project, create a content model, populate content, and deploy it to Vercel. Here are the main steps:

Step 1: Create an Account and a Space on Contentful

• Sign up for a Contentful account.
• Create a new empty space from the dashboard and give it a name.

Step 2: Create a Content Model

• Define the data structures for your application/websites using a content model.
• Create an “Author” content type with fields like name and picture.
• Create a “Post” content type with fields like title, content, excerpt, coverImage, date, slug, and author.

Step 3: Validate Your Content Model

• Ensure that your content model matches the expected structure.

Step 4: Populate Content

• Create entries for authors and posts in your Contentful space.
• Use dummy data for text and images.

Step 5: Set Up Environment Variables

• Get API keys from your Contentful space.
• Copy the .env.local.example file to .env.local and set variables like CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID, CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN, and others.

Step 6: Run Next.js in Development Mode

• Install dependencies with npm install or yarn install.
• Start the development server with npm run dev or yarn dev.

Step 7: Try Draft Mode

• Set up content preview in your Contentful space.
• Update post titles to see changes in draft mode.

Step 8: Deploy on Vercel

• Deploy your project to Vercel by pushing it to a repository and importing it to Vercel.
• Set environment variables on Vercel to match your .env.local file.

Step 9: Try Using On-Demand Revalidation

• Set up a webhook in Contentful to trigger revalidation when content changes.
• Specify a secret header, content type, and other details.
• Edit a post in Contentful, and the changes should be reflected on your deployed website without triggering a build.

By following these steps, you can create a statically generated blog using Next.js and Contentful and deploy it to Vercel. This example showcases how to manage content and leverage Contentful’s features for a dynamic and efficient blog.