Keystone Content Management System in React Next.js

Keystone Content Management System in React Next.js

Welcome to this tutorial on building a Keystone Content Management System (CMS) using React and Next.js. In this tutorial, we will be exploring how to build a powerful and flexible CMS that can be used to manage content on any website. We will be using KeystoneJS, a powerful open-source CMS framework, and React Next.js, a popular server-side rendering framework for React.

KeystoneJS provides a powerful and flexible platform for building CMS applications. It comes with a wide range of features, including user authentication, content modeling, and database integration. React Next.js, on the other hand, provides a powerful server-side rendering framework for React applications. It allows us to build high-performance web applications that can be easily optimized for search engines and social media platforms. By combining these two powerful frameworks, we can build a CMS that is both powerful and flexible, and that can be easily customized to meet the needs of any website. In this tutorial, we will be exploring how to build a Keystone CMS using React Next.js, and we will be covering everything from setting up the development environment to deploying the application to a production server.

What is Keystone?

Keystone Content Management System (CMS) is an open-source framework that allows developers to build powerful and flexible CMS applications. It provides a wide range of features, including user authentication, content modeling, and database integration, making it an ideal choice for building complex web applications. Keystone CMS is built on top of Node.js and MongoDB, which makes it highly scalable and easy to customize.

One of the key benefits of Keystone CMS is its flexibility. It allows developers to define their own content models, which can be easily customized to meet the needs of any website. This makes it an ideal choice for building websites that require complex data structures, such as e-commerce sites or social media platforms. Additionally, Keystone CMS provides a powerful user interface that allows content editors to easily manage content on the website, without requiring any technical knowledge. Overall, Keystone CMS is a powerful and flexible framework that can be used to build complex web applications quickly and easily.

Why use Keystone for Content Management System in React Next.js application?

There are several reasons why one should consider using Keystone for Content Management System. Firstly, Keystone is an open-source framework that is built on top of Node.js and MongoDB, which makes it highly scalable and easy to customize. This means that developers can easily build complex web applications that require custom data structures and workflows. Additionally, Keystone provides a powerful user interface that allows content editors to easily manage content on the website, without requiring any technical knowledge.

Some of the benefits of using Keystone for Content Management System include:

• Flexibility: Keystone allows developers to define their own content models, which can be easily customized to meet the needs of any website. This makes it an ideal choice for building websites that require complex data structures, such as e-commerce sites or social media platforms.
• Ease of use: Keystone provides a powerful user interface that allows content editors to easily manage content on the website, without requiring any technical knowledge. This means that non-technical users can easily manage content on the website, which can save time and resources.
• Scalability: Keystone is built on top of Node.js and MongoDB, which makes it highly scalable and easy to customize. This means that developers can easily build complex web applications that can handle large amounts of traffic and data.

Overall, Keystone is a powerful and flexible framework that can be used to build complex web applications quickly and easily. Its ease of use, flexibility, and scalability make it an ideal choice for building Content Management Systems that require custom data structures and workflows.

Prerequisites

To complete the "Keystone Content Management System in React Next.js" tutorial, you will need to have the following prerequisites:

• Basic knowledge of JavaScript and React: This tutorial assumes that you have a basic understanding of JavaScript and React. You should be familiar with concepts such as components, props, and state.

• Node.js and npm: You will need to have Node.js and npm installed on your computer. Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that allows you to run JavaScript code outside of a web browser, while npm is a package manager for Node.js.

• MongoDB: Keystone CMS uses MongoDB as its database, so you will need to have MongoDB installed on your computer. You can download MongoDB from the official website.

• KeystoneJS: You will need to have KeystoneJS installed on your computer. You can install KeystoneJS using npm.

• React Next.js: You will need to have React Next.js installed on your computer. You can install React Next.js using npm.

• Text editor: You will need a text editor to write and edit code. There are many text editors available, such as Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, and Atom.

React Next.js Keystone step by step setup and configuration

Integrating Keystone into a React Next.js project is a straightforward process that involves setting up a Keystone project and then integrating it into a Next.js project. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Create a Keystone project: The first step is to create a Keystone project. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:

   npm init keystone-app my-app
   

   This will create a new Keystone project in a directory called my-app. Once the project is created, you can navigate to the directory and start the Keystone server by running the following command:

   cd my-app
   npm run dev
   

2. Create a Keystone model: The next step is to create a Keystone model. A model defines the structure of the data that will be stored in the database. You can create a model by creating a new file in the lists directory of your Keystone project. For example, you could create a file called Post.js with the following code:

   const { Keystone } = require('@keystonejs/keystone');
   const { Text, Select, Relationship } = require('@keystonejs/fields');
   
   const keystone = new Keystone();
   
   keystone.createList('Post', {
     fields: {
       title: { type: Text },
       status: { type: Select, options: 'draft, published', default: 'draft' },
       author: { type: Relationship, ref: 'User' },
     },
   });
   

   This code defines a Post model with three fields: title, status, and author. The status field is a Select field that allows the user to choose between draft and published. The author field is a Relationship field that links the Post model to the User model.

3. Integrate Keystone into a Next.js project: The next step is to integrate Keystone into a Next.js project. You can do this by installing the @keystonejs/next package and creating a new file called api/graphql.js with the following code:

   const { Keystone } = require('@keystonejs/keystone');
   const { GraphQLApp } = require('@keystonejs/app-graphql');
   const { createApolloServer } = require('@keystonejs/apollo-server');
   
   const keystone = new Keystone();
   
   // Add your Keystone models here
   keystone.createList('Post', { /* ... */ });
   keystone.createList('User', { /* ... */ });
   
   module.exports = createApolloServer({
     keystone,
     context: ({ req, res }) => ({ keystone, req, res }),
   }).createHandler();
   

   This code creates a new GraphQL server using the @keystonejs/apollo-server package. It also adds the Post and User models to the Keystone instance.

4. Query the Keystone API from a Next.js component: The final step is to query the Keystone API from a Next.js component. You can do this by using the useQuery hook from the @apollo/client package. For example, you could create a new file called pages/index.js with the following code:

   import { useQuery, gql } from '@apollo/client';
   
   const GET_POSTS = gql`
     query {
       allPosts {
         id
         title
         status
         author {
           id
           name
         }
       }
     }
   `;
   
   function Home() {
     const { loading, error, data } = useQuery(GET_POSTS);
   
     if (loading) return <p>Loading...</p>;
     if (error) return <p>Error :(</p>;
   
     return (
       <ul>
         {data.allPosts.map((post) => (
           <li key={post.id}>
             <h2>{post.title}</h2>
             <p>Status: {post.status}</p>
             <p>Author: {post.author.name}</p>
           </li>
         ))}
       </ul>
     );
   }
   
   export default Home;
   

   This code queries the Keystone API for all posts and displays them in a list. The useQuery hook is used to fetch the data, and the gql function is used to define the GraphQL query. The loading and error variables are used to handle loading and error states, respectively. Finally, the data variable is used to render the list of posts.

Keystone configuration options in React Next.js

Here are the Keystone configuration options for React Next.js integration:

• keystonePath: The path to the Keystone project directory. This is required if your Keystone project is not located in the root directory of your Next.js project.

• apollo: An object that contains configuration options for the Apollo GraphQL server. This includes options such as introspection, playground, and cors.

• session: An object that contains configuration options for the Keystone session. This includes options such as maxAge, secret, and store.

• auth: An object that contains configuration options for Keystone authentication. This includes options such as identityField, secretField, and sessionData.

• cookieSecret: The secret used to sign Keystone session cookies. This should be a long, random string.

• db: An object that contains configuration options for the Keystone database. This includes options such as adapter, url, and onConnect.

• lists: An array of Keystone list configurations. Each list configuration defines the structure of a data model in the Keystone database.

• ui: An object that contains configuration options for the Keystone admin UI. This includes options such as isAccessAllowed, enableSessionItem, and enableDefaultRoute.

• server: An object that contains configuration options for the Keystone server. This includes options such as cors, logger, and onError.

By configuring these options, you can customize the behavior of Keystone and integrate it into your React Next.js project in a way that meets your specific needs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, building a Keystone Content Management System (CMS) using React Next.js is a powerful and flexible way to manage content on any website. Keystone provides a wide range of features, including user authentication, content modeling, and database integration, making it an ideal choice for building complex web applications. React Next.js, on the other hand, provides a powerful server-side rendering framework for React applications, allowing us to build high-performance web applications that can be easily optimized for search engines and social media platforms.

Throughout this tutorial, we have explored how to integrate Keystone into a React Next.js project, from setting up the development environment to querying the Keystone API from a Next.js component. We have covered the key concepts and configuration options required to build a powerful and flexible CMS using Keystone and React Next.js. By following this tutorial, you should now have a solid understanding of how to build a Keystone CMS using React Next.js, and be able to apply this knowledge to your own web development projects.