Nextra

Nextra is a Next.js and MDX powered, no-code site generator from Vercel for building documentation sites and blogs.

What is Nextra?

Nextra is an open-source site generator that combines Next.js with MDX to let you create static documentation sites without writing code. It takes Markdown and MDX files as input and produces a static website as output, deployable to any Next.js host such as Vercel. The project is developed by @shuding and @pacocoursey at Vercel and released under the MIT license. The repository warns that it is not production ready and its API might change without notice.

Key Features

• MDX support — Write content in Markdown or MDX (Markdown with embedded JSX/React components), which Nextra compiles into static pages.
• No-code setup — The generator handles routing, layout, and configuration so you can focus on writing .md or .mdx files.
• Official docs theme — nextra-theme-docs, used for the SWR site (demo at swr.vercel.app), provides documentation-specific navigation and layout.
• Official blog theme — nextra-theme-blog, used on shud.in, offers a blog layout out of the box.
• Built on Next.js — Runs on the Next.js framework, meaning you get static generation, server-side rendering, and the Next.js ecosystem.
• One-click Vercel deployment — The repository includes a Vercel import button for fast deployment.
• Open-source license — Released under the MIT license, allowing free use and modification.

Who is it for?

• Open-source maintainers — Create documentation for their projects by dropping Markdown files into the content directory.
• Technical writers — Write API docs, guides, or tutorials using MDX without dealing with build configuration.
• Developers building blogs — Use the nextra-theme-blog theme to publish a personal blog powered by Markdown files.
• Teams at Vercel — The SWR site (swr.vercel.app) is built with nextra-theme-docs, showing real-world usage inside the company.

What can you do with Nextra?

• Project documentation: Generate a full documentation site with navigation and layout from nextra-theme-docs — exactly what the SWR website uses.
• Personal blog: Use nextra-theme-blog to create a blog where posts are Markdown files.
• Starter template: Use Nextra as a starting point for a portfolio or static site, since the repository topics include "portfolio" and "starter."

Alternatives

The repository description explicitly compares Nextra to spacebook and docsify, which are other lightweight documentation site generators.

FAQ

Is Nextra production ready?

No. The project README includes a warning that Nextra is not production ready and that its API might change without notice, so you should expect breaking changes if you adopt it.

What themes are available for Nextra?

Two official themes exist: nextra-theme-docs, used on the SWR documentation site, and nextra-theme-blog, used on the personal site shud.in. Both are referenced in the repository.

Who maintains Nextra?

Nextra is created by @shuding and @pacocoursey at Vercel, and the code lives on the core branch of the GitHub repository. It is released under the MIT license.