The latest articles on DEV Community by nexibase (@nexibase). https://dev.to/nexibase https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3867313%2Fa57fd68b-4a23-4342-933c-0c14ebbf018e.png https://dev.to/nexibase en nexibase Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:30:27 +0000 https://dev.to/nexibase/i-built-an-open-source-cms-with-nextjs-16-heres-what-i-learned-c1m https://dev.to/nexibase/i-built-an-open-source-cms-with-nextjs-16-heres-what-i-learned-c1m <p>For the past few months, I've been building <strong>NexiBase</strong> — an open-source, plugin-based community platform powered by Next.js 16, React 19, Prisma (MySQL), and Tailwind CSS 4.</p> <h2> Why another CMS? </h2> <p>I spent 20+ years working with <strong>Gnuboard5</strong>, Korea's most popular PHP CMS. It's battle-tested and extensible — but stuck in the PHP era. I wanted to bring that same plugin-driven philosophy to a modern stack.</p> <p>The result is NexiBase: a full-stack CMS where you can build community sites, shopping malls, corporate pages, and more — all from a single codebase.</p> <h2> Key Features </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Multi-board system</strong> — Create unlimited boards with comments, threaded replies, reactions, and secret posts</li> <li> <strong>Plugin system</strong> — Drop a folder into <code>/plugins</code>, it's auto-detected. Enable/disable from admin</li> <li> <strong>Theme system</strong> — CSS variables, custom themes via <code>custom.css</code>, dark/light mode toggle</li> <li> <strong>Widget system</strong> — Drag &amp; drop homepage layout from the admin dashboard</li> <li> <strong>Rich text editor</strong> — Tiptap-based with image upload, links, and formatting</li> <li> <strong>Admin dashboard</strong> — Manage members, boards, plugins, menus, content pages, and widgets</li> <li> <strong>OAuth</strong> — Google, Kakao, Naver + email verification</li> <li> <strong>Image processing</strong> — Sharp-based auto resize and WebP conversion</li> </ul> <h2> Tech Stack </h2> <div class="table-wrapper-paragraph"><table> <thead> <tr> <th>Technology</th> <th>Version</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Next.js</td> <td>16</td> </tr> <tr> <td>React</td> <td>19</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Prisma</td> <td>MySQL</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Tailwind CSS</td> <td>4</td> </tr> <tr> <td>UI Components</td> <td>shadcn/ui</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Editor</td> <td>Tiptap</td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div> <h2> What makes it different? </h2> <p>Most Next.js CMS solutions are either headless (content-only) or tightly coupled. NexiBase is a <strong>full-stack, self-hosted platform</strong> with a real plugin architecture:</p> <ol> <li> <strong>Plugins are folders</strong> — Each plugin has its own Prisma schema, API routes, admin pages, and widgets. Drop it in, run a scan, done.</li> <li> <strong>Themes are CSS</strong> — No build step needed. Override CSS variables or create a full theme folder.</li> <li> <strong>Widgets are composable</strong> — Admin can arrange homepage widgets in zones (top, center, bottom) with drag &amp; drop.</li> </ol> <h2> Try it out </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Live demo</strong>: <a href="https://nexibase.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">nexibase.com</a> </li> <li> <strong>GitHub</strong>: <a href="https://github.com/nexibase/nexibase" rel="noopener noreferrer">github.com/nexibase/nexibase</a> </li> </ul> <h2> What's next? </h2> <p>I'm actively working on:</p> <ul> <li>More plugins (e-commerce, analytics)</li> <li>Better documentation</li> <li>i18n support</li> <li>Performance optimizations</li> </ul> <p><strong>I'd love your feedback!</strong> What features would you want in a Next.js CMS? What's missing from existing solutions?</p> <p>Feel free to star the repo, open issues, or just say hi. Every bit of feedback helps. 🙏</p> webdev