Markdown is the undisputed champion of writing for the web. It's simple, clean, and universal. But what happens when you want your content to do more than just display text and images? What if you want it to come alive with interactive charts, quizzes, or dynamic components?
This is where MDX shines. MDX is a superset of Markdown that lets you write JSX—the syntax of React components—directly within your content. It’s the ultimate fusion of content and code.
While MDX is often used in static site generators, a new breed of tools is unlocking its full potential for dynamic, real-time applications. With a service like mdx.do, you can compile MDX content on the fly, transforming strings from a database or headless CMS into rich, interactive experiences.
Ready to go beyond the static page? Here are five creative ways to use MDX for powerful, interactive storytelling.
The Idea: Instead of showing a static image of a chart (), embed a fully interactive data visualization component directly in your article.
Imagine a blog post about market trends. With MDX, you can pull live data and render it with a custom React charting library. Readers can hover over data points, toggle datasets, and get a much deeper understanding of the information.
Why it's powerful for storytelling: Data tells a story, and interactive data tells a story the user can explore for themselves. It transforms passive reading into active discovery.
Example MDX:
import { BarChart } from './components/Charts';
import { yearlyData } from './data/sales';
## Annual Sales Performance
Here's a look at our growth over the past three years. You can hover over each bar to see the exact figures for that quarter.
<BarChart data={yearlyData} title="Quarterly Sales" />
This trend demonstrates a consistent upward trajectory.
The Idea: Engage your audience and reinforce learning by embedding quizzes, polls, or knowledge checks directly within the narrative.
Whether you're writing a tutorial, an educational article, or a fun listicle, a well-placed quiz can dramatically increase reader engagement. With MDX, your quiz isn't an ugly, clunky <iframe>—it's a native, beautifully styled React component.
Why it's powerful for storytelling: Quizzes break the fourth wall. They invite the reader to participate, test their knowledge, and become part of the content itself.
Example MDX:
import { Quiz } from './components/Quiz';
## Test Your React Knowledge
So, you've learned about React Hooks. Let's see what you remember!
<Quiz
question="Which Hook is used to perform side effects in a function component?"
options={['useState', 'useEffect', 'useContext']}
correctAnswer="useEffect"
/>
The Idea: Use stateful components to create branching narratives where the reader's choices influence the story's direction.
This is where component-driven content truly comes into its own. You can design a <StoryChoice /> component that presents options and renders different content based on the user's selection. It's perfect for onboarding flows, interactive fiction, or product decision guides.
Why it's powerful for storytelling: It gives the reader agency. Their decisions matter, making the experience deeply personal and memorable. Each reader can have a unique journey through the same piece of content.
Example MDX:
import { StoryChoice } from './components/Story';
# The Jungle Path
You arrive at a fork in the path. A rickety rope bridge sways to your left, while a dark, narrow cave entrance beckons on your right.
<StoryChoice>
<StoryChoice.Option title="Cross the bridge">
You step onto the bridge. It creaks ominously, but holds firm. Ahead, you see a glimpse of a hidden temple.
</StoryChoice.Option>
<StoryChoice.Option title="Enter the cave">
You light a torch and enter the cave. The walls are covered in ancient symbols, and you hear the faint sound of dripping water.
</StoryChoice.Option>
</StoryChoice>
The Idea: For developer-focused content, go beyond static code blocks. Embed a live, editable code environment where users can run, fork, and experiment with your examples.
Using a library like Sandpack, you can create an MDX component that bundles a full development environment. This is the gold standard for documentation and tutorials, as it drastically shortens the feedback loop from learning to doing.
Why it's powerful for storytelling: It demonstrates concepts rather than just explaining them. It empowers developers to validate your solution and adapt it to their needs in real-time, right on the page.
Example MDX:
import { LiveEditor } from './components/LiveEditor';
## Try It Yourself!
Here is a simple React "counter" component. Click the button to see it in action, and feel free to edit the code on the left.
<LiveEditor
code={`
function Counter() {
const [count, setCount] = React.useState(0);
return <button onClick={() => setCount(c => c + 1)}>Count: {count}</button>
}
`}
/>
The Idea: Use custom-designed components to highlight product features, create visually distinct callouts, and guide users through a marketing narrative.
Standard Markdown gives you blockquotes and bold text. MDX gives you an infinite design system. Create components like <FeatureHighlight>, <WarningBox>, or <NewFeatureBadge> to structure your marketing pages with intent and visual flair.
Why it's powerful for storytelling: It allows your marketing and content teams to build rich, on-brand pages without writing code. Content becomes a modular system of reusable, interactive blocks, managed easily from a headless CMS.
Example MDX:
import { Callout } from './components/Callout';
import { NewFeatureBadge } from './components/Badge';
## Introducing: Dark Mode <NewFeatureBadge />
We're excited to announce our most requested feature.
<Callout type="info" title="How to Enable">
You can enable Dark Mode in your **Account Settings** under the **Appearance** tab. Give your eyes a rest!
</Callout>
These examples are incredible, but they often require a complex local build step. What if your MDX content lives in a database, comes from a headless CMS, or is generated by users?
This is the problem mdx.do solves. It provides a simple API to Dynamically Compile MDX to React in real-time.
Instead of bundling everything ahead of time, you can fetch your MDX string and compile it on the fly.
Here’s how simple it is:
import { mdx } from ".do";
const mdxContent = `
# Hello, MDX!
This is a JSX component rendered from a string:
<MyCustomComponent title="Welcome" />
Expressions are easy: {2024 - 1984} years have passed.
`;
// Compile the MDX string into executable code
const { code, frontmatter } = await mdx.compile(mdxContent);
// `code` can now be safely evaluated and rendered
// in your React application.
With this approach, your content is no longer static. It's living, executable code, ready to be rendered into a rich, component-driven experience anywhere in your application.
MDX bridges the gap between writing and programming. It invites authors, marketers, and developers to collaborate on a new kind of interactive content. By leveraging on-the-fly compilation services like mdx.do, you can unleash this power across your entire digital presence, from blogs to documentation to dynamic user-generated platforms.
It's time to stop thinking of your content as just words on a page. Start building experiences.