---
description: This guide shows you how build a website with Next 13 and Directus as a Headless CMS.
directus_version: 9.21.4
author: Kevin Lewis
---

# Build a Website With Next 13 and the Directus JavaScript SDK

> {{ $frontmatter.description }}

[Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) is a popular JavaScript framework based on React.js. In this tutorial, you will learn how
to build a website using Directus as a CMS. You will store, retrieve, and use global metadata such as the site title,
create new pages dynamically based on Directus items, and build a blog.

## Before You Start

You will need:

- To install Node.js and a code editor on your computer.
- To sign up for a Directus Cloud account.
- Some knowledge of React.js and Next.

Create a new Directus Cloud project - any tier and configuration is suitable for this tutorial.

Open your terminal and run the following command to create a new Next project:

```shell
# The options below is what is recommended for a completion of this guide.
# See https://nextjs.org/docs/pages/api-reference/create-next-app
# for all possible options.

npx create-next-app \
  my-website \
  --js \
  --app \
  --eslint \
  --no-src-dir \
  --no-tailwind \
  --import-alias "@/*"
```

Once finished, navigate into the new directory, delete all of the files in `app` so you can build this project from
scratch and install the Directus JavaScript SDK:

```shell
cd my-website
rm app/*
npm install @directus/sdk
```

Now, open `my-website` in your code editor for the following steps.

## Create a Helper for the SDK

To share a single instance of the Directus JavaScript SDK between multiple pages in this project, create a single helper
file that can be imported later. Create a new directory called `lib` and a new file called `directus.js` inside of it.

```js
import { createDirectus } from '@directus/sdk';
import { rest } from '@directus/sdk/rest';

const directus = createDirectus('https://directus.example.com').with(rest());

export default directus;
```

Ensure your Project URL is correct when initializing the Directus JavaScript SDK.

## Using Global Metadata and Settings

In your Directus project, navigate to Settings -> Data Model and create a new collection called `global`. Under the
Singleton option, select 'Treat as a single object', as this collection will have just a single entry containing global
website metadata.

Create two text input fields - one with the key of `title` and one `description`.

Navigate to the content module and enter the global collection. Collections will generally display a list of items, but
as a singleton, it will launch directly into the one-item form. Enter information in the title and description field and
hit save.

![A form named "Global" has two inputs - a title and a description, each filled with some text.](https://cdn.directus.io/docs/v9/headless-cms/how-to-packet-20220222A/next-global-config.webp)

By default, new collections are not accessible to the public. Navigate to Settings -> Roles & Permissions -> Public and
give Read access to the Global collection.

Inside of the `app` directory, create a new file called `page.tsx`.

```jsx
import directus from 'lib/directus';
import { readItems } from '@directus/sdk/rest';

async function getGlobals() {
	return directus.request(readItems('global'));
}

export default async function HomePage() {
	const global = await getGlobals();
	return (
		<div>
			<h1>{global.title}</h1>
			<p>{global.description}</p>
		</div>
	);
}
```

Type `npm run dev` in your terminal to start the Next development server and open `http://localhost:3000` in your
browser. You should see data from your Directus Global collection in your page. Some additional files will be created by
Next that it expects, but do not yet exist - these can be safely ignored for now.

## Creating Pages With Directus

Create a new collection called `pages` - make the Primary ID Field a "Manually Entered String" called `slug`, which will
correlate with the URL for the page. For example `about` will later correlate to the page `localhost:3000/about`.

Create a text input field called `title` and a WYSIWYG input field called `content`. In Roles & Permissions, give the
Public role read access to the new collection. Create 3 items in the new collection -
[here's some sample data](https://github.com/directus/examples/blob/main/website-next13/demo-data).

Inside of `app`, create a new directory called `[slug]` with a file called `page.tsx`. This is a dynamic route, so a
single file can be used for all of the top-level pages.

```jsx
import directus from 'lib/directus';
import { notFound } from 'next/navigation';
import { readItem } from '@directus/sdk/rest';

async function getPage(slug) {
	try {
		const page = await directus.request(readItem('pages', slug));
		return page;
	} catch (error) {
		notFound();
	}
}

export default async function DynamicPage({ params }) {
	const page = await getPage(params.slug);
	return (
		<div>
			<h1>{page.title}</h1>
			<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: page.content }}></div>
		</div>
	);
}
```

Go to `http://localhost:3000/about`, replacing `about` with any of your item slugs. Using the Directus JavaScript SDK,
the single item with that slug is retrieved, and the page should show your data. `readItem()` allows you to specify the
Primary ID Field.

_Note that we check if a returned value exists, and return a 404 if not. Please also note that
[`dangerouslySetInnerHTML` should only be used for trusted content](https://reactjs.org/docs/dom-elements.html#dangerouslysetinnerhtml)._

## Creating Blog Posts With Directus

Create a new collection called `authors` with a single text input field called `name`. Create one or more authors.

Then, create a new collection called `posts` - make the Primary ID Field a "Manually Entered String" called `slug`,
which will correlate with the URL for the page. For example `hello-world` will later correlate to the page
`localhost:3000/blog/hello-world`.

Create the following fields in your `posts` data model:

- a text input field called `title`
- a WYSIWYG input field called `content`
- an image relational field called `image`
- a datetime selection field called `publish_date` - set the type to 'date'
- a many-to-one relational field called `author` with the related collection set to `authors`

In Roles & Permissions, give the Public role read access to the `authors`, `posts`, and `directus_files` collections.

Create 3 items in the posts collection -
[here's some sample data](https://github.com/directus/examples/blob/main/website-next13/demo-data).

### Create Blog Post Listing

Inside of the `app` directory, create a new subdirectory called `blog` and a new file called `page.tsx` inside of it.

```jsx
import directus from '@/lib/directus';
import { readItems } from '@directus/sdk/rest';

async function getPosts() {
	return directus.request(
		readItems('posts', {
			fields: ['slug', 'title', 'publish_date', { author: ['name'] }],
			sort: ['-publish_date'],
		})
	);
}

export default async function DynamicPage() {
	const posts = await getPosts();
	return (
		<div>
			<h1>Blog</h1>
		</div>
	);
}
```

This query will retrieve the first 100 items (default), sorted by publish date (descending order, which is latest
first). It will only return the specific fields we request - `slug`, `title`, `publish_date`, and the `name` from the
related `author` item.

Update the returned HTML:

```jsx
<div>
	<h1>Blog</h1>
	<ul>
		{posts.map((post) => {
			return (
				<li key={post.slug}>
					<a href={`/blog/${post.slug}`}>
						<h2>{post.title}</h2>
					</a>
					<span>
						{post.publish_date} &bull; {post.author.name}
					</span>
				</li>
			);
		})}
	</ul>
</div>;
```

Visit `http://localhost:3000` and you should now see a blog post listing, with latest items first.

![A page with a title of "Blog". On it is a list of three items - each with a title, author, and date. The title is a link.](https://cdn.directus.io/docs/v9/headless-cms/how-to-packet-20220222A/next-blog-listing.webp)

### Create Blog Post Pages

Each blog post links to a page that does not yet exist. In the `app/blog` directory, create a new directory called
`[slug]`, and within it a `page.tsx` file:

```jsx
import directus from '@/lib/directus';
import { notFound } from 'next/navigation';
import { readItem } from '@directus/sdk/rest';

async function getPost(slug) {
	try {
		const post = await directus.request(
			readItem('posts', slug, {
				fields: ['*', { relation: ['*'] }],
			})
		);

		return post;
	} catch (error) {
		notFound();
	}
}

export default async function DynamicPage({ params }) {
	const post = await getPost(params.slug);
	return (
		<>
			<img src={`${directus.url}assets/${post.image.filename_disk}?width=600`} alt="" />
			<h1>{post.title}</h1>
			<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: post.content }}></div>
		</>
	);
}
```

Some key notes about this code snippet.

- In the `<img>` tag, `directus.url` is the value provided when creating the Directus plugin.
- The `width` attribute demonstrates Directus' built-in image transformations.
- Once again, `dangerouslySetInnerHTML` should only be used if all content is trusted.
- Because almost-all fields are used in this page, including those from the `image` relational field, the `fields`
  property when using the Directus JavaScript SDK can be set to `*.*`.

Click on any of the blog post links, and it will take you to a blog post page complete with a header image.

![A blog post page shows an image, a title, and a number of paragraphs.](https://cdn.directus.io/docs/v9/headless-cms/how-to-packet-20220222A/next-blog-single.webp)

## Add Navigation

While not strictly Directus-related, there are now several pages that aren't linked to each other. Create the file
`app/layout.tsx` to add a navigation above the main content. Don't forget to use your specific page slugs.

```jsx
export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
	return (
		<html lang="en">
			<body>
				<nav>
					<Link href="/">Home</Link>
					<Link href="/about">About</Link>
					<Link href="/conduct">Code of Conduct</Link>
					<Link href="/privacy">Privacy Policy</Link>
					<Link href="/blog">Blog</Link>
				</nav>
				<main>{children}</main>
			</body>
		</html>
	);
}
```

## Next Steps

Through this guide, you have set up a Next project, created a Directus helper, and used it to query data. You have used
a singleton collection for global metadata, dynamically created pages, as well as blog listing and post pages.

If you want to change what is user-accessible, consider setting up more restrictive roles and accessing only valid data
at build-time.

If you want to build more complex dynamic pages made out of reusable components, check out
[our recipe on doing just this](/guides/headless-cms/reusable-components).

If you want to see the code for this project, you can find it
[on GitHub](https://github.com/directus/examples/blob/main/website-next13).
