Table of Contents
According to experts in the field, WordPress is the best CMS. But let’s say you need a more custom look for your website. How can you achieve this goal? The answer is using headless WordPress. You can combine the power of two different web development tools. Here, we will use WordPress as a headless CMS for Next.js.
Web development services use this combination to ensure a faster, more responsive website with more SEO-friendly content. To help you with the same, we will provide you with the complete process. But before we begin, let’s understand headless WordPress and its benefits.
What is Headless WordPress?
Headless WordPress refers to an architecture where WordPress is used specifically for its content management capabilities (the back-end). But a separate technology handles the front-end presentation layer. This front-end technology could be a modern JavaScript framework like Next.js or React or Vue.js.
Here’s a breakdown of the key aspects:
- Headless WordPress (Back-end): This is where you use the WordPress interface to create and manage your content. You can write blog posts, edit pages, upload images, and manage user roles – all within the WordPress admin dashboard.
- Front-end Framework (Next.js example): Here, you can design and build the website’s user interface. Next.js allows you to create dynamic and interactive experiences using modern JavaScript.
With the combination of two powerful technologies, you can get the best web solution for your site. It eases and expedites the web development process. You can consult with our professional WordPress development company to ensure the best results with this headless approach.
Benefits of Using WordPress as a Headless CMS for Next.js
Using WordPress as a headless CMS for Next.js combines the strengths of both platforms, offering several key benefits. Here are the primary advantages:
- Familiar Interface: Content creators and editors can continue using the user-friendly WordPress interface they’re already familiar with. This reduces training time and ensures a smooth workflow for content management.
- Rich Content Management: WordPress offers robust content creation features, including post types, custom fields, media management, and user roles. This flexibility allows you to create and manage complex content structures.
- Large Plugin Ecosystem: The vast WordPress plugin ecosystem provides access to a wide range of functionalities that can be integrated with your headless setup. There are also plugins for SEO optimization, forms, and more, extending the capabilities.
- Modern Front-end Development: Next.js lets you use modern JavaScript frameworks like React to build dynamic websites. This enables a more performant and engaging user experience compared to traditional WordPress themes.
- Flexibility and Customization: Decoupling the front end from the back end grants complete control over the website design and functionality. You can create a custom front-end experience tailored to your specific needs using Next.js libraries.
- Improved Performance: Headless architecture often leads to faster loading times. By separating content management from presentation, you can optimize the front end for speed using Next.js.
- Scalability: Both Next.js and headless WordPress can be scaled independently. You can scale the front-end infrastructure to handle increased traffic while maintaining a robust CMS with WordPress.
This combination positions your website for future growth and ensures you can leverage the latest advancements in web development.
Want a responsive, SEO-rich website?
How to Use WordPress as a Headless CMS for Next.js?
Here, we will set up WordPress to manage content and fetch that content in a Next.js application. Here’s a step-by-step guide with descriptions for each step:
Step 1: Configure your WordPress site
Set up and configure WordPress to serve as the backend content management system.
- Install WordPress: Set up WordPress either locally using tools like XAMPP or WAMP or on a web server using a WordPress hosting provider. Follow the installation prompts and create an admin account.
- Configure Permalinks: In the WordPress admin dashboard, go to Settings > Permalinks and choose a permalink structure. This step ensures your URLs are SEO-friendly.
This establishes the backend where you’ll create and manage the content displayed on your Next.js front end. It also ensures your WordPress site is publicly accessible for the Next.js application to fetch data.
Step 2: Install the WPGraphQL plugin
Install and activate the WPGraphQL plugin in WordPress to enable GraphQL functionality.
- Install WPGraphQL: In the WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for WPGraphQL: Find the WPGraphQL plugin, install it, and activate it.
- Verify Installation: Once activated, WPGraphQL adds GraphQL functionality to WordPress. This allows you to query posts, pages, custom post types, and fields using GraphQL queries.
The WPGraphQL enables your Next.js application to interact with your WordPress data using GraphQL queries. It provides a flexible and efficient way to request specific data from your CMS with improved WordPress site performance.
Step 3: Build the frontend with Next.js
Initialize a Next.js project to build the front end, which will consume data from WordPress via GraphQL.
- Install Node.js and npm (or yarn) on your development machine. These are essential for running Next.js projects.
- Use the create-next-app command to create a new Next.js project directory. Open your terminal and run:
npx create-next-app my-headless-app
This sets up a new Next.js project named my-headless-app.
This project will store the frontend code responsible for displaying the content fetched from your headless WordPress setup.
Step 4: Fetch data from the GraphQL API
Configure Next.js to fetch data from WordPress using WPGraphQL.
- Install Dependencies: Install necessary dependencies like graphql-request to make GraphQL queries in Next.js.
npm install graphql-request
- Query Data: Write GraphQL queries in your Next.js application to fetch data from WordPress. Example:
// pages/index.js
import { request, gql } from 'graphql-request';
const endpoint = 'https://your-wordpress-site.com/graphql';
export async function getStaticProps() {
const query = gql`
{
posts {
nodes {
id
title
content
}
}
}
`;
const data = await request(endpoint, query);
const posts = data.posts.nodes;
return {
props: {
posts,
},
};
}
export default function Home({ posts }) {
return (
<div>
{posts.map(post => (
<div key={post.id}>
<h2>{post.title}</h2>
<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: post.content }} />
</div>
))}
</div>
);
}
Here, we have fetched the data to our Next.js frontend from the WordPress backend using the GraphQL API.
Step 5: Install dependencies and run the Next.js dev server
Install the necessary dependencies and start the Next.js development server to see your site in action.
- Install Dependencies: If you haven’t installed dependencies previously, run:
npm install
- Start Development Server: Run the following command to start the Next.js development server:
npm run dev
This command starts the development server at http://localhost:3000 by default.
Step 6: Incremental Static Page Regeneration
Set up Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) in Next.js for dynamic content updates.
- Implement ISR: Use Next.js ISR to regenerate static pages on-demand or at specified intervals, ensuring your content remains up-to-date without rebuilding the entire site.
export async function getStaticProps() {
return {
props: {
// data fetched from GraphQL
},
revalidate: 60, // regenerate every 60 seconds
};
}
ISR helps ensure your statically generated pages display up-to-date content from your WordPress CMS when the content changes.
Step 7: Deploying the Next.js app
Deploy your Next.js application to a production environment.
- Choose a Deployment Platform: Select a platform like Vercel, Netlify, or your server for deployment.
- Build and Deploy: Use the platform’s deployment workflow to build your Next.js application (npm run build) and deploy it to production.
- Monitor and Manage: Monitor your deployed application for performance and manage updates as needed.
This makes your Next.js application accessible to the public, showcasing the content managed through your headless WordPress setup.
By utilizing WP GraphQL, you can effectively set up WordPress as a headless CMS with Next.js. It provides more flexibility in content management and front-end development. To get the best out of this headless integration, consult with our professional WordPress developers. They will help you create the most dynamic and robust websites.
FAQs About Using WordPress as a Headless CMS for Next.js
Conclusion
Using WordPress as a headless CMS for Next.js projects offers a reliable and flexible solution for website development. By decoupling the backend from the front end, we can take advantage of WordPress CMS and Next.js responsive front end.
You can use WordPress as headless by installing the WPGraphQL plugin to build the front end with Next.js. Additionally, you can use GraphQl API, which lets you fetch data on your Next.js frontend from the WordPress backend. If you want to build a website that is robust and attractive at the same time, hire WordPress developers.
