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NextBlock™ CMS | We ditched hardcoded schemas to let users (and AI) build custom CMS blocks on the fly.

If you've ever managed a CMS for a client, you know the dreaded request: "Can we get a custom block that looks exactly like this?" Usually, this means opening up your codebase, defining a new schema, mapping it to your frontend components, and waiting for the Vercel pipeline to redeploy. It's a massive friction point.

For the NextBlock Beta, we wanted to give users total control to build, duplicate, and edit their own blocks directly from the dashboard.

To do this, we had to rethink how blocks are stored. We built a Dynamic Schema Engine where custom blocks aren't hardcoded files; they are strict PostgreSQL JSONB data definitions. They inject at runtime directly into our Tiptap editor and Next.js 16 pipelines. No redeploys. No HTML sanitization tax. Just instant UI generation.

But here is where it gets really fun.
Because the entire block architecture is now just pure data (JSONB) instead of hardcoded React/TypeScript, you don't even have to build the widgets yourself. We fully integrated this with our Cortex AI. You can simply describe the layout you need—for example, "Build a Testimonial block with an R2 image avatar, a rich-text quote, and a 5-star rating toggle"—and Cortex AI will autonomously generate the schema, build the custom widget, and make it instantly available in your slash-command menu.

Zero code. Zero redeploys. Instant custom blocks.

Jump into our ephemeral sandbox and let me know what you think of the DevX (try getting the AI to build something crazy): https://nextblock.dev

posted to Icon for group Building in Public
Building in Public
on June 3, 2026
  1. 1

    This is technically strong, but I’d be careful that the positioning does not stay too deep in the implementation layer.

    JSONB schemas, runtime injection, Tiptap, and Next.js pipelines prove the system is flexible, but the buyer probably feels the pain in a simpler way:

    “Every client wants a custom CMS block, and every custom block turns into developer work.”

    That is the sharper wedge.

    The strongest promise might be closer to:

    “Let clients and teams create custom CMS blocks without opening the codebase or waiting for a redeploy.”

    That makes NextBlock feel less like another headless CMS feature and more like a workflow unlock for agencies, dev teams, and client-heavy websites.

    I’d probably test this first with web agencies or dev shops that manage multiple client sites. They already understand the pain of one-off content blocks, client requests, and CMS customization work.

    Happy to put a tighter version in writing if useful. I’d map the agency positioning, first buyer segment, landing page angle, and a simple beta-user plan.

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