How I Built This Secure Blog in Next.js

I didn’t want this blog to be yet another "Next.js starter" that quietly grows a list of security foot‑guns over time. The goal was a setup that feels pleasant to write in, but also borrows the kind of defensive habits you’d expect from a production app. Next.js 16 with the app router, plus a thin TypeScript content layer, turned out to be a good fit.

Architecture Decisions

Blog architecture diagram — Static-first architecture with Next.js static site generation

Everything you read here is pre‑rendered at build time. There’s no runtime database, no server‑side rendering for posts, and no CMS sitting behind a login screen waiting to be brute‑forced. Posts live in TypeScript files, which sounds old‑school but works surprisingly well: the compiler yells if I forget a field, and the content layer stays very close to the code that renders it.

typescript

export type ContentBlock =
  | { type: "paragraph"; content: string }
  | { type: "heading"; level: 1 | 2 | 3; content: string }
  | { type: "image"; src: string; alt: string; caption?: string }
  | { type: "code"; language?: string; content: string }
  | { type: "quote"; content: string; author?: string }
  | { type: "list"; items: string[]; ordered?: boolean };

Security Features

Security layers in static site architecture — Multiple security layers in a static-first architecture

Static generation eliminates server-side vulnerabilities
No user input means no injection attacks
TypeScript prevents type-related security issues
Content is validated at build time
No database means no SQL injection risks

Performance Optimizations

Performance optimization metrics and charts — Static generation and image optimization deliver fast page loads

Because the pages are static, most performance wins come for free: the CDN does the heavy lifting and there’s very little work left for the server. The remaining polish comes from sensible image optimisation, lazy loading where it makes sense, and treating build‑time TypeScript errors as a friendly nudge rather than an annoyance.

“The best security is the code that never runs. Static generation eliminates entire classes of vulnerabilities.”

Future Enhancements

There’s still plenty I’d like to add — comments, a small admin area, maybe an optional headless CMS — but the rule of thumb is simple: any new feature has to earn its keep without punching holes in the security story. For now I’m happy that the core feels fast, predictable, and a little bit over‑engineered in the right places.