Setting Up a Blog with MDX in Next.js

For the blog section, we will use MDX directly, following the official Next.js guide:

Lee Robinson's tutorial provides an excellent starting point. Following best practices from active developers of Next.js and Vercel is crucial, as these technologies evolve rapidly. Staying aligned with their roadmap ensures better compatibility and maintainability.

Installing Required Packages

To get started, install the necessary dependencies:

npm install @next/mdx @mdx-js/loader @mdx-js/react @types/mdx

Managing Environment Variables

For environment variable management, we recommend using T3 Env. It validates and transforms environment variables using Zod, preventing misconfigurations.

"Never build your apps with invalid environment variables again. Validate and transform your environment with the full power of Zod."

Analytics Integration

Install and configure Vercel Analytics to track user interactions effectively.

UI Components

We use shadcn/ui as our primary UI library due to its seamless integration with Next.js v0.

Database and ORM

For data management, we use Prisma as our ORM and Neon Postgres as our database provider.

Set up the Neon database directly on Vercel.

Authentication

For authentication, I highly recommend Clerk.

"You're never charged for users who sign up and never come back. Your first 10,000 active users and 100 active organizations are free."

Create a new Clerk application and link it to your project.

Domain Registration

For domain registration, I recommend Namecheap based on my positive experience with their service.

Best Practices for Choosing a Domain

Keep it short, simple, and memorable.
Avoid hyphens and numbers.
Prefer .com if possible.
Ensure it is easy to spell and pronounce.
Check for trademark conflicts and social media availability.

Connect Vercel to your Namecheap domain using DNS Advanced [TODO: add procedure]

Also connect your production Clerk instance to the purchased domain.