Vercel Portfolio Starter Kit: Modern Blog with Next.js 14, MDX

Jan 25, 2025

In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through how to build a modern blog platform using Next.js 14, MDX, and Vercel using The Vercel Portfolio Starter Kit. This blog platform is perfect for developers looking to create their portfolio website or technical blog. We'll explore the codebase structure, key features, and how everything works together.

Table of Contents

  1. Project Overview
  2. Tech Stack
  3. Project Structure
  4. Key Features
  5. Implementation Details
  6. Deployment
  7. How to Use This Template

Project Overview

The Vercel Portfolio Starter Kit blogging platform is built with modern web technologies and best practices in mind. It features:

  • Static site generation for blazing-fast performance
  • MDX support for writing blog posts with JSX components
  • Clean and minimalist design
  • RSS feed generation
  • SEO optimization with meta tags and sitemap
  • Type safety with TypeScript

Tech Stack

  • Next.js 14: The React framework for production
  • TypeScript: For type safety and better developer experience
  • MDX: For writing content with JSX components
  • Tailwind CSS: For styling
  • Vercel: For deployment and hosting

Project Structure

Let's break down the key directories and files in our project:

blog/
├── app/
│   ├── blog/
│   │   ├── [slug]/
│   │   ├── posts/
│   │   ├── page.tsx
│   │   └── utils.ts
│   ├── components/
│   ├── global.css
│   ├── layout.tsx
│   └── page.tsx
├── public/
└── package.json

Key Directories Explained

  • app/: The main application directory using Next.js 14 App Router
  • app/blog/: Contains blog-related components and posts
  • app/blog/posts/: Where all MDX blog posts are stored
  • app/components/: Reusable React components
  • app/global.css: Global styles using Tailwind CSS

Key Features

1. MDX Blog Posts

The blog uses MDX for writing posts, which allows you to:

  • Write content in Markdown
  • Include React components in your posts
  • Add custom frontmatter for metadata
  • Style content using Tailwind CSS

2. Dynamic Routing

The app/blog/[slug] directory handles dynamic routing for blog posts. When you create a new MDX file in the posts directory, it automatically becomes available as a new route.

3. SEO Optimization

The blog includes several SEO features:

  • Dynamic meta tags for each page
  • Automatic sitemap generation
  • RSS feed
  • OpenGraph images, title, and description

4. Performance

` The blog is optimized for performance through:

  • Static site generation
  • Image optimization
  • CSS optimization with Tailwind
  • Efficient code splitting

Implementation Details

Blog Post Structure

Each blog post is an MDX file with frontmatter. Here's an example:

---
title: "Your Blog Title"
publishedAt: "2025-01-25"
summary: "A brief summary of your blog post"
---

# Your Content Here

Write your content using Markdown and JSX components.

Reading Blog Posts

The utils.ts file in the blog directory handles:

  • Reading MDX files
  • Parsing frontmatter
  • Sorting posts by date
  • Generating RSS feed

Layout and Styling

The blog uses a clean, minimalist design implemented with Tailwind CSS. The main layout is defined in app/layout.tsx and includes:

  • Navigation
  • Footer
  • Global styles
  • Meta tags

Deployment

The blog is designed to be deployed on Vercel, which offers:

  • Automatic deployments
  • Edge caching
  • Analytics
  • Environment variables management

To deploy your own version:

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Connect it to your Vercel account
  3. Configure your deployment settings
  4. Push your changes

How to Use This Template

To use this blog template for your own portfolio:

  1. Execute create-next-app with pnpm to bootstrap the example: 
    pnpm create next-app --example https://github.com/vercel/examples/tree/main/solutions/blog blog
  2. Install dependencies: 
    pnpm install
  3. Start the development server: 
    pnpm dev
  4. Create your blog posts in the app/blog/posts directory
  5. Customize the styling and components to match your preferences
  6. Deploy to Vercel

Customization Tips

  1. Styling: Modify global.css and component styles to match your brand
  2. Components: Add or modify components in the components directory
  3. Content: Update the main page content in app/page.tsx
  4. Meta: Update site metadata in layout.tsx

Conclusion

This blog platform provides a solid foundation for building your personal blog or portfolio. It combines the power of Next.js, the flexibility of MDX, and the ease of deployment with Vercel. The type-safe nature of TypeScript and the utility-first approach of Tailwind CSS make it maintainable and extensible.

Feel free to explore the code, make modifications, and create your own unique blog experience. Happy coding!

for a Deeper dive into the Vercel Portfolio Starter Kit, check out this blog post. Vercel Portfolio Starter Kit: Modern Blog with Next.js 14, MDX.