Starter App with Next.js and Contentful

A starter app for building websites using Next.js 13's app directory, Tailwind CSS, Contentful CMS, GraphQL, Docker, and Nginx.

Features

Next.js (container) ---<-<--- GraphQL ---<-<--- Contenful CMS

• Dynamically render using data fetched on Next.js
• Style components with predefined classes from Tailwind CSS
• Manage the site's content with the Contentful CMS interface
• Communicate queries with GraphQL
• Build and run a Docker container using a Dockerfile

Demo

• https://stemple.dev.yliang.net/

Getting Started

In this starter application, routes are dynamically rendered on the server at request time using fetch() requests without caching to retrieve the latest content data.

• Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/y-liang/starter-app-nextjs-contentful.git
• Install dependencies: npm install

Configure Contentful CMS

• Create a space in Contentful and fill in environment variables in .env.local file. Go to Settings > API keys to find the Space ID and Content Delivery API access token from the main environment. Note: make sure to select the environments and aliases for API key access.
• Define content model and add content
  • Detail, a content type for text copies.

  type Detail = {
     id: number;
     label: string;
     title: string;
     subtitle: string;
     description: string;
     link: string;
  };
  

  • Feature, a content type for image assets.

  type Feature = {
     id: number;
     title: string;
     description: string;
     image: Image;
     isIcon: boolean;
     link: string;
  };
  type Image = {
     url: string;
  }
  

Query GraphQL API

• Make requests to the GraphQL API using fetch()

async function fetchGraphQL(query: string) {
  return fetch(
    `${CONTENTFUL_BASE_URL}/content/v1/spaces/${CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID}/environments/${CONTENTFUL_ENVIRONMENT_ID}`,
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        Authorization: `Bearer ${CONTENTFUL_DELIVERY_TOKEN}`,
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ query }),
      cache: 'no-store' // opt out of caching behavior for dynamic data fetches
    }
  );
}

• Modify queries as needed

const detailResponse = await fetchGraphQL(
   `query {
      detailCollection(order: id_ASC, skip: 0, limit: 15) {
         items {
            ${DETAIL_GRAPHQL_FIELDS}
         }
      }
   }`
);
const DETAIL_GRAPHQL_FIELDS = `
   id
   label
   title
   subtitle
   description
   link
`;

• Retrieve a piece of content using the find() function where the label property is used as an identifier.

   const findDetail = (label: string) => {
      return details.find((detail: Detail) => detail.label == label);
   };

Building and Deploying

The Dockerfile included here is referenced from the Next.js with-docker example.

Containerize the app with Docker

• Build the Docker image using a Dockerfile: sudo docker build -f ./app.Dockerfile -t <image-name> .

• Run the Docker container in detached mode: sudo docker run -d -p 3200:3200 --name <container-name> <image-name>

• Alternatively, create and start a container using a Docker Compose file: sudo docker compose up -d

Reverse Proxy with Nginx

• Configure Nginx to proxy requests and ensure its security by enabling encrypted HTTPS with an SSL certificate.

server {
   listen 80;
   listen [::]:80;
   server_name DOMAIN_NAME www.DOMAIN_NAME;

   location / {
      proxy_pass http://0.0.0.0:3200;
      include proxy_params;
   }
}

Running Locally

• Start the development server: npm run dev
• The application is running on port 3200, which can be changed by modifying the "dev": "next dev -p 3200" and "start": "next start -p 3200" scripts in the package.json file.