Building a Blog with Cursor AI: An Innovative Development Journey

In the rapidly evolving landscape of web development, AI tools are transforming how we create and manage digital projects...

How I Built This Blog with Cursor AI

When I decided to create a new blog, I wanted something modern, fast, and customizable. I'd heard about Next.js and Tailwind CSS as powerful tools for web development, but I wasn't sure where to start. That's when I discovered Cursor AI, an AI-powered coding assistant that transformed my development process. Here's how we built this blog together, from concept to deployment.

Finding the Right Foundation

I began by exploring different starter templates for Next.js blogs. After some research, I settled on the Tailwind NextJS Starter Blog template, which offered a clean design, good performance, and built-in features like dark mode and SEO optimization.

Cursor AI helped me understand the template's structure and suggested customizations that would make it uniquely mine. The AI explained complex concepts in simple terms and guided me through the initial setup process.

Customizing the Design

With the template installed, I wanted to make the blog reflect my personal style. Cursor AI was invaluable here, helping me:

• Modify the color scheme to match my preferences
• Customize the typography for better readability
• Adjust the layout for a more unique look
• Create a personalized logo and favicon

What impressed me most was how Cursor AI could generate code based on my descriptions. When I wanted to change how blog cards appeared on the homepage, I simply described what I wanted, and the AI provided the exact code needed.

Adding Custom Features

Beyond the basic template, I wanted some additional functionality. Cursor AI helped me implement:

1. Enhanced code blocks with better syntax highlighting
2. Custom image components for optimized loading
3. Improved navigation between blog posts
4. Integration with analytics to track visitor engagement

For each feature, Cursor AI explained not just what code to write, but why it worked that way. This helped me learn as I built, rather than just copying solutions I didn't understand.

Content Creation Workflow

Setting up a smooth workflow for writing and publishing content was crucial. Cursor AI helped me:

• Organize my content directory structure
• Create templates for different types of posts
• Set up frontmatter validation
• Implement draft functionality for works in progress

The MDX format (Markdown with JSX) was new to me, but Cursor AI explained how it allows me to embed React components directly in my markdown content, opening up powerful possibilities for interactive blog posts.

Troubleshooting and Debugging

No development process is without challenges. When I encountered errors or unexpected behavior, Cursor AI was like having a senior developer at my side. It helped me:

• Identify the root causes of build failures
• Debug rendering issues across different devices
• Fix dependency conflicts
• Optimize performance bottlenecks

One particularly tricky issue involved configuring the content layer to properly process my MDX files. What might have taken me hours to solve on my own was resolved in minutes with Cursor AI's guidance.

Deploying to Vercel

When it came time to deploy, I chose Vercel as my hosting platform since it's optimized for Next.js applications. However, I ran into some challenges with my Yarn configuration during deployment.

Cursor AI helped me troubleshoot the deployment issues by:

1. Creating a proper .yarnrc.yml configuration
2. Setting up a vercel.json file with the correct build settings
3. Adding .nvmrc and .node-version files to specify Node.js compatibility
4. Creating a simplified package.json specifically for Vercel deployment

The AI explained each step of the process, helping me understand not just what to do, but why each change was necessary. This was especially valuable since I was using newer versions of React and Next.js that required special handling.

What I Learned

Building this blog with Cursor AI taught me more than just how to use Next.js and Tailwind. I learned:

• How modern web frameworks fit together
• The importance of proper configuration for different environments
• Techniques for optimizing site performance
• Best practices for organizing code in a larger project

Most importantly, I learned how AI can be a powerful partner in the development process. Cursor AI didn't just give me answers; it helped me understand concepts, learn patterns, and develop skills I'll use in future projects.

The Future of AI-Assisted Development

This experience has convinced me that AI-assisted development is the future. Tools like Cursor AI don't replace developers—they amplify our capabilities and help us focus on creativity rather than getting stuck on technical details.

For my next projects, I plan to continue using Cursor AI as a development partner. I'm excited to see how the tool evolves and how it can help me tackle even more complex challenges.

Conclusion

Building this blog with Cursor AI was an enlightening experience. What might have taken weeks of frustration and Stack Overflow searches was accomplished efficiently and educationally. The result is a blog that's not just functional but built on a foundation I actually understand.

If you're considering building your own blog or web application, I highly recommend exploring what AI-assisted development can do for you. And if you have any questions about my experience or want to know more about how this blog was built, feel free to reach out!