Integrating Contentful with Next.js Router in 80 characters

Setting Up: Next.js and Contentful

Prerequisites

Before diving into the setup process, ensure you have the following:

• A Contentful account. Sign up here.

• A Vercel account. If you’re new to Vercel, sign up here.

• Intermediate knowledge of JavaScript and React.js.

• Node.js compatible system with `npm` installed.

Creating a Content Model in Contentful

1. Access the dashboard: Go to Contentful in your browser.

2. Create a space: Start by creating a new space to store your content models and content.

3. Define the content model: Set up a content model named knowledgeArticle for structuring your articles.

4. Add fields to the model like title, slug, summary, details, date, articleImage, authorName, and categoryName.

5. Populate with sample data: Add a few sample knowledge articles using the knowledgeArticle content type.

Setting up Contentful’s Content Delivery API

Utilize Contentful’s Content Delivery API to fetch content for your app. This API allows applications to retrieve content stored in a Contentful space.

Go to the API section on your Contentful dashboard, create a new API key, and store it in an environment variable for authentication within your Next.js application.

Creating the Next.js application

With the content model set in Contentful, it’s time to build your Next.js application:

1. Create the app: Navigate to your desired directory in the terminal and run npx create-next-app@latest --js to initiate a new Next.js application.

2. Test your setup: Start the development server by running npm run dev in your project directory and check the default Next.js starter page at http://localhost:3000.

In the upcoming sections, we’ll integrate Contentful with our Next.js app for a seamless user experience.