Content Engine

Published: 2026-02-10

Content Engine is a project-style writeup for a local MDX publishing pipeline. It treats content as source code: reviewed in Git, validated during builds, and rendered into static pages with complete metadata.

Scope

The engine handles two content types:

• Blog posts under /blog/[slug].
• Project pages under /projects/[slug].

Projects are article-style pages, but they stay out of the blog list and RSS feed.

Pipeline

The content flow is intentionally direct:

MDX file -> frontmatter validation -> sorted content model -> static page -> metadata routes

The frontmatter contract lets the UI stay simple. Cards, archives, detail pages, RSS, sitemap entries, and JSON-LD all read from the same content model.

Why Local MDX

Local MDX is a good fit when content volume is modest and the author is comfortable editing files. It avoids CMS complexity while still supporting controlled components for richer moments.

Tradeoffs

• Content updates require a deploy.
• Rich components need to be intentionally maintained.
• Validation needs to be strict enough to catch SEO regressions.