Nextblock CMS

How to Setup NextBlock: From Scratch

Whether you're a contributor diving into the full monorepo or a developer bootstrapping a standalone project, NextBlock offers two clear paths to get started. This guide walks through both.

Choose Your Path

🔧 Monorepo (git clone)

For contributors, plugin developers, and teams that want full control over every library in the Nx workspace.

⚡ CLI (npm create)

For developers who want a standalone Next.js project with NextBlock baked in — ready to deploy in minutes.

Path 1: The Monorepo (Contributors & Advanced)

Clone the full Nx monorepo to contribute or build custom libraries:

git clone https://github.com/nextblock-cms/nextblock.git
cd nextblock
npm install
npm run setup

The npm run setup wizard will:

Create .env.local from the template
Prompt for your Supabase project URL and keys
Optionally configure R2 storage and SMTP
Link the Supabase CLI to your project
Push the database schema with npm run db:push

Then start the dev server:

npx nx serve nextblock

Useful monorepo commands:

# Build all workspace projects
npm run all-builds

# Lint the main app
npm run nx:lint:nextblock

# Regenerate DB types after schema changes
npm run db:types

# View the dependency graph
npx nx graph

Path 2: The CLI (Quick Start)

Scaffold a standalone project in seconds:

npm create nextblock@latest my-site
cd my-site

The CLI copies a production-ready template, rewrites workspace imports to published packages, and optionally runs the setup wizard. Your project is a standard Next.js app — no Nx required.

Configure your environment in .env.local:

NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=your-project-url
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your-anon-key
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=your-service-role-key
NEXT_PUBLIC_URL=http://localhost:3000

Push the schema and start developing:

npm run db:push
npm run dev

Activating Premium Modules

For CLI-generated projects, activate the e-commerce package:

npx create-nextblock activate ecommerce

This injects route wrappers for /cms/orders, /cms/products, /checkout, and the checkout API — all gated through verifyPackageOnline() so premium routes stay aligned with your license.

Deployment

NextBlock deploys as a standard Next.js app. Push to Vercel, Netlify, or any Node.js host. Ensure your server-side environment variables (Supabase service role, Stripe keys, CRON_SECRET) are configured in your hosting provider's dashboard.