In today's fast-paced web development world, having full control over your content management system (CMS) can be a game-changer. With Next.js and Firebase, you can build a lightweight, custom CMS that scales with your needs—without being tied to third-party platforms.

In this post, you'll learn how to build your own CMS from scratch using Next.js API routes for backend logic and Firebase for real-time data storage and authentication.

What is a CMS?

CMS stands for Content Management System.It is a tool or software that helps you create, edit, and manage content on a website — without needing to write code.

Example:

• Think of it like Google Docs, but for websites.
• You can write text, add images, or publish a blog post just by clicking buttons — no coding needed.

Tech Stack Overview

• Next.js – React-based framework with built-in API routes
• Firebase – for real-time database and user authentication
• Tailwind CSS (optional) – for styling the CMS dashboard

Step 1: Project Setup

Initialize Next.js Project

npx create-next-app custom-cms

cd custom-cms

npm install firebase

Firebase Configuration

Create a Firebase project at console.firebase.google.com.

• Enable Firestore Database
• Enable Email/Password Authentication

Create a file: lib/firebase.js

Step 2: Authentication

Create a simple login form using Firebase Auth:

Step 3: API Routes for Content Management

Create API routes for adding, editing, and deleting content.

Step 4: CMS Dashboard UI

Create a simple dashboard to manage posts.

Step 5: Editing and Deleting Posts

Add edit and delete buttons to each post, calling the respective API routes. You can pass post ID and updated data via fetch().

Optional: Role-Based Access

Use Firebase custom claims or check email addresses in your Next.js logic to limit access to admins only.

Final Thoughts

By combining Next.js API routes with Firebase, you've built a secure, full-featured custom CMS with:

• Authentication
• Real-time content editing
• Scalable architecture
• Full control over UI and backend logicThis setup is perfect for blogs, portfolios, product catalogs, or even as a backend panel for larger applications.