NextJS 14 Ghost Frontend

My Journey Building a Next.js Front-End for Ghost

As a long-time user and fan of the Ghost blogging platform, I've recently embarked on an exciting project: creating a Next.js front-end for Ghost. I've always appreciated Ghost for its simplicity and functionality, particularly its content management system and the ease with which you can set up a domain and start publishing.

However, I found myself wanting more dynamic functionality than what Ghost's default Handlebars themes could offer. While it's possible to hack and modify these themes, I decided to take a different approach. Initially, I considered building a React application, but ultimately chose to work with Next.js to expand my knowledge of this powerful framework.

In my quest for a visually appealing design, I stumbled upon the beautiful Aceternity UI library. Inspired by its components, I set out to create a full-stack application that leverages Ghost for content management while utilizing Next.js and Aceternity for a dynamic and stylish front-end.

One of the aspects I'm most proud of is making this project open-source. Anyone can use it by simply adding their Ghost admin and content API keys, along with their Ghost API URL. The project is ready to be deployed on Vercel, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

Looking ahead, I plan to expand the functionality of this project. I'm considering adding a commenting section and integrating more Ghost features, such as subscriber and member management. I'll likely be diving deeper into Ghost's admin API to make this happen.

For now, I'm keeping the project open-source, but I'm also considering forking it into a private repo for my personal use. It's been a rewarding experience to build something that not only serves my needs but could potentially help other Ghost users who want a more dynamic front-end for their blogs.

If you're interested in trying it out or contributing, feel free to check out the project on GitHub. I'm excited to see how it evolves and how others might use and improve upon it!