Integrating MDX with Next.js: A Comprehensive Guide

What is MDX?

MDX is a lightweight markup language that allows you to write JSX in your Markdown files. It’s designed to be easy to read and write, making it a great choice for building fast and scalable websites. With MDX, you can create rich, formatted documents without needing a complex word processor.

What is Next.js?

Next.js is a React-based framework that provides a robust set of tools for building server-rendered and statically-generated applications. It’s designed to make it easy to build fast, scalable, and maintainable websites, with features like automatic code splitting, internationalization, and more.

Integrating MDX with Next.js

There are three main strategies for integrating MDX with Next.js: using @next/mdx, next-mdx-remote, and react-markdown. Each strategy has its own benefits and trade-offs, and the best approach will depend on your specific needs and requirements.

Using @next/mdx

@next/mdx is a plugin that allows you to write JSX in your Markdown files and take advantage of the automatic code splitting provided by Next.js. To use @next/mdx, you’ll need to install the plugin and configure it in your next.config.js file.

module.exports = {
  // ...
  plugins: ['@next/mdx'],
}

Once you’ve installed and configured @next/mdx, you can start writing JSX in your Markdown files. For example:

# Hello World

This is a paragraph of text.

Using next-mdx-remote

next-mdx-remote is a library that allows you to separate your Markdown content from your codebase and make it easier to manage. To use next-mdx-remote, you’ll need to install the library and configure it in your next.config.js file.

module.exports = {
  // ...
  plugins: ['next-mdx-remote'],
}

Once you’ve installed and configured next-mdx-remote, you can start writing Markdown content in separate files. For example:

# Hello World

This is a paragraph of text.

You can then import and render this content in your Next.js pages using the MDXRemote component.

import { MDXRemote } from 'next-mdx-remote';

const Page = () => {
  return (
    <MDXRemote />
  );
};

Using react-markdown

react-markdown is a library that allows you to convert Markdown content to JSX. To use react-markdown, you’ll need to install the library and import it in your Next.js pages.

import ReactMarkdown from 'react-markdown';

const Page = () => {
  const markdownContent = `
    # Hello World

    This is a paragraph of text.
  `;

  return (
    <ReactMarkdown source={markdownContent} />
  );
};