Building a Headless WordPress Portfolio with Next.js in 2025

In the fast-evolving world of web development, headless WordPress has emerged as a top choice for developers who want flexibility, speed, and modern tooling. I recently built a personal portfolio site that leverages WordPress as a content management system (CMS) and Next.js for the front end—here’s how I did it, what I learned, and why you might want to try something similar.

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Why Go Headless?

With traditional WordPress, your site’s front end and back end are tightly coupled. Headless WordPress decouples them: WordPress only handles content creation and management, while a separate framework (like React, Vue.js, or Next.js) powers the user experience. This setup offers blazing-fast performance, greater design freedom, and access to a rich JavaScript ecosystem.

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My Tech Stack

• WordPress: The latest version (6.8+), set up on a reliable host, with the REST API or GraphQL enabled.
• Next.js: A React framework for static and server-rendered sites. It’s perfect for modern portfolios and blogs.
• ACF (Advanced Custom Fields): For flexible content modeling in WordPress.
• Tailwind CSS: For fast, responsive styling.
• Vercel: For deployment and hosting.
• GitHub: For version control and collaboration.

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Step-by-Step Build Process

1. Set Up Your WordPress Site

• Install WordPress on your chosen hosting provider.
• Enable the REST API (or install WPGraphQL if you prefer GraphQL).
• Create a ‘Projects’ custom post type (easy with plugins like Custom Post Type UI).
• Add custom fields for project details (title, description, images, links, technologies used).
• Populate your portfolio with a few projects.

2. Build the Front End with Next.js

• Initialize a Next.js project with npx create-next-app.
• Fetch data from WordPress using fetch in Next.js’s getStaticProps for fast, static rendering.
• Design your portfolio layout—keep it clean, visually oriented, and mobile-friendly.
• Integrate project details from your custom fields, displaying title, description, images, and links.
• Add a blog section pulling from WordPress posts if you want to share thoughts and updates.

3. Deploy and Optimize

• Deploy your Next.js site on Vercel (it’s free for starters and super fast).
• Enable incremental static regeneration to keep content fresh without full rebuilds.
• Optimize images and assets for speed.
• Set up analytics (Google Analytics, Vercel Analytics, or something privacy-focused).
• Test on all devices—speed, functionality, and accessibility matter.

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Lessons Learned

• Performance is transformative: Headless WordPress with Next.js delivers near-instant page loads.
• Flexibility is key: You can use any front-end tech or design system you like, without being limited by WordPress themes.
• Content management remains familiar: Clients or collaborators can update content in WordPress’s familiar admin, while your dev team works in modern tooling.
• Edge cases exist: Previewing content before it’s published and handling authentication (for protected content) require extra plugins or code—e.g., WordPress’s Preview API or Headless WordPress preview plugins.

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Example Code Snippet

js// In your Next.js page
export async function getStaticProps() {
  const res = await fetch(
    'https://your-wordpress-site.com/wp-json/wp/v2/projects'
  );
  const projects = await res.json();
  return { props: { projects } };
}

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Call to Action

If you’re a WordPress developer in 2025, try a headless project. Whether it’s a portfolio, blog, or client site, the combination of WordPress content management and a modern JavaScript front end is powerful, scalable, and future-proof.

Questions? Suggestions? Drop a comment below—let’s build the future of WordPress, together.