Build a Starter Website Using Next.js Static Site Generator and Contentstack

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Note: Learn how to build a starter website using Next.js framework for React applications with Server Side Rendering (SSR).

Let’s look at the steps to create this starter website using Next.js and Contentstack.

Prerequisites

• Contentstack account
• Node.js version 12 or later
• Contentstack CLI: npm install -g @contentstack/cli
• Enable Live Preview for your organization
• Management token with read permission

Note: For this tutorial, we have assumed that you are familiar with Contentstack and Next.js. If not, please refer to the Contentstack docs and Next.js docs for more details.

Set Up Your App

Here is an overview of the steps involved in creating our Next.js app:

1. Set the Region
2. Login to your Account
3. Import Content
4. Create Delivery Token
5. Build and Configure the Website
6. Deploy the Website

1. Set the Region

   To use the North American, European, or Azure North American endpoint, run the following command in your terminal (command prompt):

   csdx config:set:region <<region>> 
   

   Note: - For North American users, set the region as NA.
   - For European users, set the region as EU.
   - For Azure North American users, set the region as AZURE-NA.

2. Login to your Account

   To import content to your stack, first, you’ll need to log in to your Contentstack account via CLI by running the following command in your terminal:

   csdx auth:login

   This command will ask you to provide your Contentstack’s account credentials (email and password).

3. Import Content

   The ‘seed’ command lets you import content to your stack in a few steps. To do so, run the following command in your terminal:

   csdx cm:seed -r "contentstack/stack-starter-app"

   This command will prompt the following options as follows:

   • Organization name: You’ll get a list of organizations to which you have access. Select the one from the list where your source stack is located or where you want to create a new stack.

   • Stack preference:

     Next, you need to select your choice to create a new stack:

     • If you select Yes, you’ll receive a list of organizations to which you belong. Then, choose an organization where you are either an owner or admin to create the new stack, and then enter a name for your stack.
     • If you select No, you need to choose the organization where the destination stack exists and select that particular stack where you have the specific permissions for importing content. Refer to the Stack Roles documentation to learn more about permissions.

   Tip: To avoid the chances of any error, we recommend that you select the option of creating a new destination stack. If you choose to import content to an existing stack, ensure that the stack is empty.

   Finally, you’ll get the content imported to your stack.

4. Create Delivery Token

   A delivery token lets you fetch published content of an environment.

   You can create a delivery token for the “development” environment for running the website on localhost. Later, while deploying your site, you can create tokens for other environments.

5. Build and Configure the Website

   Download the website code.

   Fire up your terminal, navigate to your project folder, and run the following command to create a configuration file named .env.local.

   cp .env.local.sample .env.local

   Note: If you are a Windows user, replace cp with copy in the command given above.

   The .env.local file contains all the necessary config parameters. Open it in any code editor or IDE of your choice, provide your stack credentials as shown below, and save the file.

   CONTENTSTACK_API_KEY = <api_key_of_your_stack>
   CONTENTSTACK_DELIVERY_TOKEN = <delivery_token_of_the_environment>
   CONTENTSTACK_ENVIRONMENT = <environment_name>

   Mandatory configuration parameters to enable Live Preview

   Note: The below code is for North America region users only. Refer the configuration code for European region and Azure North American region on the regions configuration page.

   CONTENTSTACK_MANAGEMENT_TOKEN = <management_token_of_the_environment>
   CONTENTSTACK_APP_HOST = app.contentstack.com 
   CONTENTSTACK_API_HOST = api.contentstack.io 
   CONTENTSTACK_LIVE_PREVIEW = true 
   #By default the live preview feature is enabled for this project. To disable it, set "CONTENTSTACK_LIVE_PREVIEW= false".
   CONTENTSTACK_LIVE_EDIT_TAGS = false 
   #By default live editing tags are disabled for this project. To enable it, set “CONTENTSTACK_LIVE_EDIT_TAGS= true”.
   

   Additional Resource: Go to our Live Preview documentation to learn more about the Live Preview feature in Contentstack.

   Run the following commands in your terminal:

   npm install
   npm run dev

   That’s it!

   You can now view the website at http://localhost:3000. And you also have the stack that has all the content and resources for the website. Try experimenting by creating new entries and publishing on the “development” environment. You should be able to see the changes on the website at the localhost.

   Note: If you face any issues while installing the starter app, refer to the Customizing Babel Config document for more information.

   Set up SSG On-demand ISR (Optional)

   For Static Site Generation, the build is generated for a particular active route at predefined intervals. 
   Alternatively, for on-demand Incremental Static Regeneration, the build is generated based on the conditions provided in webhook events for the specific page URLs.

   Here are the steps to follow to set up on-demand ISR.

   Configure Webhook in Contentstack

   1. Select Webhook from the "Settings" icon on the left navigation panel and click on + New Webhook.
   2. Provide a suitable name for your Webhook and enter the page URL appended with /api/revalidate?secret=”<some secret value>”.
   3. Select the required conditions needed to trigger the page on demand and then Save the webhook.

   Set configuration files for On-demand ISR

   1. Add the following configuration parameter to .env.local :

      CONTENTSTACK_SECRET_TOKEN = <your_secret_value> //any value of your choice

      Note: The secret value entered in this section must be the same as the secret value entered in the website URL in Webhook.

   2. When switching to On-demand ISR, it is required to remove the parameter “revalidate=1000” from all the .tsx pages under the “pages” folder.

   Set up Live Preview (Optional)

   Note: In order to use Live Preview, your plan must include this feature. Check our pricing page for more details. 

   The next step is to set up and enable live preview for your website. Follow the steps below to set up live preview feature for your website:

   1. Navigate to the Live Preview section in your stack's “Settings”.
   2. Select the Enable Live Preview checkbox.
   3. Now, select a preview environment and preview URL for previewing live content of your website. Finally, Save your settings. 

   This completes your live preview set up. Now, you can deploy the website using Vercel.

6. Deploy the Website

   The easiest and the quickest way to deploy a Next.js starter website on production is to use Vercel. You need a Vercel account before you start deploying.

   

   Note: While deploying the starter website to Vercel, make sure to enable/ disable the Live Preview environment variable as per your requirement.