Inkwell - Blog/CMS Template (Next.js)

Blog/CMS starter built on Next.js 16, PostgreSQL, and the Inkwell editorial design tokens. Ships auth scaffolding, Gate 17 compliance wiring, CMS admin, public /blog reader, RSS, sitemap, comments, moderation, and content analytics.

Quick Start

Prerequisites: Node.js 22.13+, pnpm 10+, PostgreSQL 15+.

1. Clone or extract the ZIP.
2. cp .env.example .env
3. pnpm install
4. Start PostgreSQL: docker compose -f docker-compose.demo.yml up -d
5. pnpm db:migrate
6. pnpm db:seed
7. pnpm dev
8. Visit http://localhost:3000

Demo credentials:

• User: demo@example.com / Password123!!
• Admin: admin@example.com / Password123!!

What's Included

Foundation layer:

• Auth scaffolding: email/password login, password reset, JWT + refresh, audit-logged failed logins
• UK / EU / US compliance scaffold (Gate 17)
• Inkwell theme tokens: warm-sand accent, Lora display, dark + light mode
• Drizzle ORM + PostgreSQL, Zod validation, structured logging
• Responsive layout from 375px to 2560px
• Docker demo environment and Vercel-ready build path
• Auth flags through SITE_CONFIG

CMS layer:

• Posts CRUD with Markdown editor, live preview, revisions, scheduling fields, and status workflow
• Hierarchical Categories and flat Tags with slug auto-generation
• Public /blog listing and /blog/[slug] article reader
• CMS-managed static pages at slugs such as /about and /contact
• RSS feed at /rss.xml and XML sitemap at /sitemap.xml
• Reader comments with admin moderation queue and author notification emails
• Media library metadata backed by the upload system
• Content analytics: per-post views, views over time, popular posts, and top categories

Useful Routes

• /blog - public article index
• /about - seeded CMS-managed static page
• /content - admin CMS studio
• /content/comments - moderation queue
• /content/analytics - content analytics dashboard
• /api/docs - API reference

Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js 16 App Router
• Database: PostgreSQL via Drizzle ORM
• Auth: JWT access tokens + httpOnly refresh cookies
• Payments: Not included in Inkwell Blog/CMS Lite; add checkout/payment processing before accepting money.
• Styling: Tailwind CSS v4 + shadcn/ui
• Theme: Inkwell (Warm Sand, Lora display)

Environment Variables

See .env.example for all required variables. For production, set:

• DATABASE_URL or POSTGRES_*
• JWT_SECRET
• OAUTH_STATE_SECRET when OAuth is enabled
• NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL
• SEED_PASSWORD if DEMO_MODE=true on a public deployment

Documentation

• INSTALLATION.md - setup and verification
• CUSTOMIZATION.md - branding, theme, CMS content, and demo replacement
• DEPLOYMENT.md - production deployment
• COMPLIANCE.md - Gate 17 compliance scaffold
• LICENCE.md - commercial licence terms

Version

• Version: 1.14.0
• Edition: Inkwell
• Stack: Next.js