1. Create a New Page for Your Database
- In the left sidebar, under Private, click New Page.
- Name it something like Notion DB CMS. This will be the home for your content database.
2.Add a Gallery View
- At the bottom of the new page, add a Gallery.
- This gallery will display your content items as cards.
3. Configure Properties
- Open Settings → Edit Properties.
- Add and adjust the following properties:
| Property | Purpose |
| Title | The headline of your post/page |
| Status | Workflow state: Created, Draft, Live (replace the default In Progress / Done) |
| Slug | URL-friendly identifier for the page |
| Image | Thumbnail or featured image |
| Date | Creation date |
| Tags | Categories or labels |
Here’s what it looks like:
👉 Later, you’ll fetch only items with Status = Live for your frontend.
4. Create Your First Page
- Click New Page inside the gallery.
- Add some test content:
5. Set Up a Developer Integration
To connect your database via API, you need a Notion integration.
- Go to Notion Integrations: https://www.notion.so/profile/integrations
- Click New Integration.
- Fill in:
- Click Save.
- In the Integration Name field – enter the name (I wrote tutorial-blog).
- Associated Workspace – select our workspace.
- Type – choose Internal.
- Click
Configuration
- Copy the Internal Integration Secret (this is your API key).
- Capabilities: leave only Read Content enabled.
- Under Access, click Edit Access and select your database.
It should look like this once selected:
- Save changes.
6. Save Your Config in Notion
- Back in your database, create a second page called Config.
- Store your integration secret and other setup details there so you don’t lose them.
7. Get Your Database ID
- In the sidebar, right‑click the three dots next to your database.
- Select Copy Link.
-
The database ID is the long string between the
/and the?in the URL. Example: - Save this ID in your Config page. You’ll need it when connecting via API.
✅ Done!
You now have:
- A Notion database set up as a CMS.
- Properties configured for content management.
- An integration with API access.
- Your secret key and database ID saved.