How I built a multilingual website with Next.js and next-intl without a backend

From critical systems leadership to direct development: an evolution towards total agility.

After three decades leading digital transformation and critical systems in retail, 2025 marked a professional turning point. After years managing multimillion-euro budgets and high-performance multidisciplinary teams, I chose a more direct and personal execution model, applying strategic judgment to a modern technology stack.

This project began through a collaboration with a friend who wanted to professionalise her digital presence. Instead of delegating it or choosing a standard solution, I applied 30 years of experience to a modern architecture that reflected my own quality standards.

The COBOL effect and why I ruled out WordPress

Initial recommendations pointed to WordPress, but my instinct as someone used to Agile Delivery pushed me elsewhere. The more I looked at it, the more static it felt for the standards I wanted to apply.

For someone who has defined internal standards and modernised integrations with APIs and Kafka, WordPress reminded me of older systems where layers of complexity are added to avoid touching a core that is no longer optimal. I was not looking for patches; I wanted architectural clarity and operational efficiency.

The deployment win and the return to hands-on engineering

My technical background had long since evolved into strategic management. That is why achieving my first successful deployment on Vercel through CI/CD felt like winning a personal battle.

Returning to hands-on engineering has allowed me to enjoy my Computer Engineering training in a new way. I have left behind the sometimes artificial stress of large corporate environments and focused on the satisfaction of building with precision and autonomy.

The definitive development team: generative AI

In my current role as an AI consultant, my workflow has reached a speed that would have been unthinkable before.

• From Copilot to Claude Code: after testing tools that often fell into loops, working with Claude has been a revelation: an effective senior developer working alongside me at full capacity.
• Data architecture without doubts: my Master Data background led me directly to a relational database with Supabase. In demanding retail environments, data integrity is not negotiable.
• Real agility: Next.js and next-intl make it possible to deliver a professional multilingual experience without the overhead of a traditional backend, preserving the flexibility strategic projects need.