Next.js Medium Blog Boilerplate

Next.js Medium Blog Boilerplate is an open-source Next.js starter that produces a Medium-style blog wired to Contentful as its default content management system.

What is Next.js Medium Blog Boilerplate?

Next.js Medium Blog Boilerplate is a Next.js project bootstrapped with create-next-app that serves as a ready-to-run blog template with a visual design modeled on Medium. It takes a Contentful space as the content source and outputs a blog site with dummy posts already loaded. The project runs on Node.js, is built with TypeScript, and is maintained by developer maxigimenez.

Key Features

• Contentful setup automation — runs yarn setup:contentful to prompt for a space ID and Management/Delivery API tokens, then imports the schema defined in schemas/contentful.json so the blog displays dummy content immediately.
• Data source abstraction — models and a service structure live in the core/ folder, designed to support any data source, with Contentful as the only pre-built integration.
• Medium-style design via Mundana — uses the free Mundana HTML Bootstrap template from wowthemes.net for the blog's look and feel.
• TypeScript support — repository topics indicate the boilerplate is built with TypeScript, giving typed models and components.
• One-command local development — yarn dev runs the project locally at http://localhost:3000.
• Simplified deployment — a now.json configuration is included, pointing to Zeit.co (now) for hosting.

Who is it for?

• Next.js developers who want a functional Medium-like blog starter without building layout and CMS plumbing from scratch.
• Content editors or bloggers who want a clean editorial interface with Contentful as the publishing backend and pre-seeded sample posts.
• Developers experimenting with headless CMS architectures who want to study or extend a data-source abstraction layer under core/.

Use cases

• Indie bloggers: launch a Medium-styled blog in minutes by connecting a Contentful space and running the included setup script.
• Agency developers: use the boilerplate as a client project base and restyle the Mundana template for different brands.
• Developers learning Next.js: inspect a working Next.js + TypeScript + Contentful codebase with clear separation between models, services, and the UI template.

How does it work?

1. Clone the repository and run yarn install to install dependencies.
2. Run yarn setup:contentful, enter your Contentful space ID, and provide Management and Delivery API access tokens when prompted; the script imports the schema from schemas/contentful.json.
3. Run yarn dev and open http://localhost:3000 to view the blog populated with dummy content that is ready to be edited.

Pros and cons

• Pros: one-command Contentful schema setup; data source abstraction for future backends; now.json included for quick Zeit.co deployment.
• Cons: Contentful is the only data source with a built-in setup script; other sources must be implemented manually.

Alternatives

• Tailwind Nextjs Starter Blog — a Next.js blog starter that uses Markdown/MDX files instead of a headless CMS.

FAQ

Does the boilerplate only work with Contentful?

Contentful is the only integration with a pre-built setup script and schema. The core/ models and service structure are designed to support any data source, so alternatives can be added by implementing new services, but none are provided out of the box.

How do I connect my own Contentful space?

Run yarn setup:contentful and enter your space ID along with your Contentful Management API and Delivery API tokens. The script imports the schema from schemas/contentful.json, after which the blog shows dummy data that you can edit.

How do I start the blog locally?

After installing dependencies, run yarn dev and open http://localhost:3000 in your browser. The site is served from your local machine.

Can I deploy this boilerplate to a host other than Zeit?

The repository includes a now.json file for Zeit.co deployment, but because it is a standard Next.js application, it can be deployed to any platform that supports Next.js.