Next.js does not come with an admin panel, so every team building one makes the same decision early: start from a template and write the rest, use a framework that generates CRUD screens, or let a headless CMS provide the admin. Each option trades build speed against control, and all of them leave you maintaining an admin inside your codebase. There is also a fourth option, which is not building the admin in Next.js at all.
Below are ten ways to get a Next.js admin panel, grouped by approach, with the point where each one stops.
What a Next.js admin panel needs
- Authentication and role-based access, ideally reusing your app's identity provider.
- CRUD screens: tables with search, filters and pagination, and forms with validation.
- A data layer: server actions or API routes calling your database, ORM or backend API.
- Audit trails for changes made by staff.
- A plan for who maintains it as the product changes.
The ten options at a glance
| Option | Approach | License | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jet Admin | Hosted admin builder on your database or API | Free plan; paid tiers | An admin for ops and support without frontend work |
| Refine | React framework for CRUD apps | Free, open source | Developers who want full control in code |
| React Admin | React framework for admin UIs | Free, open source; paid Enterprise | Mature, component-rich admin in React |
| Payload | Headless CMS that runs inside Next.js | Free, open source | Content and data admin in the same Next.js app |
| Directus | Headless data platform with admin app | Source-available; free under a revenue threshold | An instant admin on an SQL database |
| Strapi | Headless CMS with admin panel | Free, open source; paid plans | Content-driven Next.js sites |
| shadcn/ui admin starters | Starter templates | Free, open source | A modern UI to build on |
| TailAdmin Next.js | Tailwind dashboard template | Free and paid versions | Many prebuilt pages |
| Vercel's Next.js admin template | Minimal starter | Free, open source | A small, current reference setup |
| Commercial admin themes | Paid Next.js dashboard themes | Paid | Teams wanting a polished design system |
Not built in Next.js
1. Jet Admin
Jet Admin builds the admin panel next to your Next.js app rather than inside it. It connects to the database your app uses, such as PostgreSQL, MySQL or Supabase, or to your API routes, and generates tables, forms, record pages, approval steps and dashboards. You describe the admin you need and Jet creates the screens, then you refine them visually or with custom React components and code. Data stays where it is; Jet keeps no second copy.
The reason to choose it is maintenance. An admin in your Next.js repo is part of every dependency upgrade, every schema change and every design system change, and every request from the support team becomes a developer ticket. With Jet, the people who use the admin can adjust it, and roles decide who sees which tables, rows and fields. Granular permissions, SSO and audit logs are on the Business plan and above; unlimited users are on every plan, including Free.
Where it stops: it does not share your Next.js components or routes. If your admin must live under your domain's app shell with your exact components, build it in Next.js.
Frameworks for CRUD in React
2. Refine
Refine is an open source React framework for data-heavy apps. It provides data providers, auth providers, routing and hooks for lists, forms and detail views, and works with Next.js and UI libraries such as Ant Design, Material UI, Mantine or headless setups.
Where it stops: you still write every screen. It speeds up building but does not remove maintenance.
3. React Admin
React Admin is a long-standing framework for admin UIs with a large component library, data providers for many backends, and an Enterprise edition with extra modules. It can run inside a Next.js app.
Where it stops: it has its own conventions and Material UI styling, which can clash with the rest of a Next.js app's design.
Headless CMS admins
4. Payload
Payload is an open source headless CMS that installs directly into a Next.js app. You define collections in TypeScript, and it generates an admin panel, APIs and access control, all in the same codebase and deployment.
Where it stops: Payload owns the schema of its collections. It is ideal for data you model in Payload, less so for an admin over an existing database it did not create.
5. Directus
Directus connects to an existing SQL database and gives you an admin app and APIs instantly, with roles and permissions. A Next.js front end can use its APIs.
Where it stops: it runs as a separate service you host or pay for, and its license is source-available with conditions for larger companies.
6. Strapi
Strapi is a popular open source headless CMS with an admin panel and content APIs, often paired with Next.js front ends.
Where it stops: it is a CMS. Operational back-office screens over existing business tables are outside its focus.
Templates to build on
7. shadcn/ui admin starters
Several open source Next.js admin starters use shadcn/ui and Tailwind, giving you layouts, tables, forms and auth wiring that match modern Next.js conventions.
Where it stops: templates give you screens, not data logic. Every CRUD operation, permission and audit trail is yours to build.
8. TailAdmin Next.js
TailAdmin offers a Next.js and Tailwind dashboard template with many prebuilt pages, charts and components, in free and paid versions.
Where it stops: it is a UI kit. Wiring it to real data is the bulk of the work.
9. Vercel's Next.js admin template
Vercel publishes a minimal admin dashboard template using the App Router, a database and authentication. It is a clean reference for how to structure an admin in current Next.js.
Where it stops: it is intentionally small. It shows the pattern rather than covering a full admin.
10. Commercial admin themes
Theme vendors sell polished Next.js admin themes with design systems, dozens of pages and dark mode.
Where it stops: you buy a design, not a working admin. Data, permissions and maintenance remain your work.
Which Next.js admin option to use
- The admin is for ops and support, and your developers should stay on the product: Jet Admin.
- You want full control in React with less boilerplate: Refine or React Admin.
- You are modeling content and data from scratch in Next.js: Payload.
- You want an instant admin on an existing SQL database as a separate service: Directus.
- You want a head start on the UI: a shadcn/ui starter, TailAdmin or Vercel's template.
Frequently asked questions
Does Next.js have a built-in admin panel?
No. Next.js is a web framework without an admin. You build one with a framework such as Refine, a CMS such as Payload, a template, or a separate tool such as Jet Admin.
What is the fastest way to build a Next.js admin panel?
If you are starting fresh, Payload generates an admin from your collection definitions. If your data already exists in a database, a tool that connects to it, such as Jet Admin or Directus, gives you working screens without writing them.
Should the admin panel live in the same Next.js app?
It can, but it adds admin routes, permissions and dependencies to your product's codebase. Many teams keep the admin separate so it can change without a product deploy.
Start with who maintains it
If developers will own the admin, pick a framework or template and budget for its upkeep. If the admin is for the rest of the company, connect your app's database to Jet Admin and build it without touching your Next.js code.