#3 Product of the week · Launched January 24, 2023
Modern Developer Blog Template (Digital Garden Starter)

Modern Developer Blog Template (Digital Garden Starter)

An open source blogging (digital gardening) template for developers using Next.js app router, MDX, Contentlayer, Tailwind CSS, @shadcn/ui , Lucide Icons, and more.

FreeUI LibraryOpen Source26,842 impressions#3 of its week6 comments

Comments

>log in to comment
  • gracious_ngetich· 3y ago

    This template is beautiful and minimalistic. Well done!. I love it

  • Geoffrey Callaghan· 3y ago

    I think you should use veilmail.io for your website email address so you can prevent spam and hide your email address behind a captcha.

  • Shafie Mukhre· 3y ago

    love this template, it's a beautifully crafted modern website!

  • Fanni Friedrich· 3y ago

    I already used this template to create my website and worked like a dream.

  • Levente Orban· 3y ago

    Awesome work David! Keep going :))

  • David[maker]· 3y ago

    It's available as a repo template on Github: https://github.com/thedevdavid/digital-garden

Devs who create content want to have a site to share thoughts with the world. Atm, there's no "perfect solution" for this. Devs have to build from scratch, use a design template & code features, or use a CMS/no-code tool. This starter includes analytics, newsletter, modern tooling & design, and more.

An open-source Next.js template for developer blogs and digital gardens with MDX, Tailwind, shadcn/ui and built-in analytics.

for
Developers who want a ready-made personal blog or digital garden site.
pricing
open source
license
MIT
thedevdavid/digital-garden 330 39TypeScriptupdated 7 months ago
  • v0.8.0Migrate from Contentlayer to Content Collections, update minor and patch depende7 months ago
  • v0.7.23 years ago
  • v0.7.13 years ago
works withNext.jsMDXTailwind CSS@shadcn/uiLucide Icons

Key features

5 features of Modern Developer Blog Template (Digital Garden Starter)
  • Next.js App Router — Provides file-based routing and server-side rendering out of the box.
  • MDX Content — Write posts in Markdown with embedded React components.
  • Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui — Modern, customizable UI components styled with Tailwind.
  • Analytics & Newsletter — Built-in tracking and email subscription integration.
  • Contentlayer Integration — Handles content sourcing and transformation for fast builds.

Use cases

  • Personal developer blog with code snippets
  • Digital garden for ongoing technical notes
  • Portfolio site showcasing projects and articles
  • Newsletter sign-up page integrated with blog

Modern Developer Blog Template (Digital Garden Starter) vs alternatives

Modern Developer Blog Template (Digital Garden Starter)BloggrifySaas UIOpen SaaS
Best forReady-to-deploy dev blog templateMarkdown-to-hosted-blog conversionSaaS product UI kitOpen-source SaaS starter
PricingOpen sourceFreeFreeFree
DevHunt upvotes15475498
LaunchedJan 2023Mar 2024Jan 2023Jan 2024

Modern Developer Blog Template (Digital Garden Starter) FAQ

Is the template free to use?+

Yes, the Digital Garden starter is released under an open-source license on GitHub.

What framework does it rely on?+

It is built with Next.js (app router) and uses Tailwind CSS for styling.

Can I add my own analytics provider?+

The template includes analytics out of the box, and you can replace or extend it with any provider.

How do I deploy the site?+

Deploy to any platform that supports Next.js, such as Vercel, Netlify or your own server.

Do I need to configure a CMS?+

No, content is managed via MDX files and Contentlayer, so no external CMS is required.

Summarized by DevHunt from github.com · Sep 27, 2026. Details may change; check the official site.