Composing the Web: How MDX Turns Markdown into a Developer’s CMS

This talk explores MDX - a powerful open-source tool that blends the simplicity of Markdown with the flexibility of React. It allows developers to create dynamic, component-driven content systems without relying on a traditional CMS.

The session will cover:

• What MDX is, how it works under the hood using remark and rehype

• Setting up MDX in a Next.js application using @next/mdx or next-mdx-remote

• Using frontmatter for dynamic routing, SEO, and structured metadata

• Creating custom components like <Callout />, <CodeBlock />, and <VideoPlayer />, and mapping them into MDX content

• Styling rendered content using Tailwind CSS and the Typography plugin

• Implementing useful features like table of contents, code highlighting, and layout mapping

In the second half of the talk, we’ll explore real engineering use cases:

• Using MDX for building developer blogs, personal portfolios, and technical documentation

• A look at Fuma docs - a modern documentation site built using MDX, React components, and Tailwind CSS

• Replacing traditional CMS workflows with git-based, component-powered content pipelines

• Extending MDX through plugins and contributing back to the open-source ecosystem

Attendees will walk away with practical insights into building flexible, scalable, and maintainable content systems using only open-source tools. If you’ve ever wanted to take Markdown further, make your content interactive, or replace your CMS with something developer-friendly, this talk will show you how.

• Understand how MDX combines Markdown with React components to build dynamic content systems.

• Learn how to set up MDX with Next.js and structure content using frontmatter and custom layouts.

• Discover how to replace traditional CMS workflows using Git-based MDX pipelines.

• Gain practical knowledge of styling MDX content using Tailwind CSS and the Typography plugin.

• Explore real-world use cases like blogs, documentation, and printable resumes powered entirely by open-source tools.

• Learn how to extend MDX functionality using plugins and how to contribute to the open-source ecosystem around it.