How To Build With Next.js
Next.js is an open source React framework that makes it easy to build production-grade web applications. With Next.js, developers can quickly set up a server-rendered React application with built-in routing. It also comes with a wide range of features, such as server-side rendering, static exporting, and code splitting.
In this article, we’ll explain how to build an application with Next.js. We’ll cover topics such as setting up a project, creating routes, code splitting, and more. By the end of this article, you’ll have a good understanding of how to build with Next.js.
Setting Up the Project
The first step in building with Next.js is to set up the project. To do this, you’ll need to install the Next.js CLI. This will create a new project for you with a few default files and folders.
Once you have the CLI installed, you can create a new project with the command npx create-next-app. This will create a folder called my-app in the current directory. Inside this folder, you’ll find a few files, such as package.json, next.config.js, and pages/index.js.
Creating Routes
The next step is to create the routes for your application. In Next.js, routes are defined in the pages/ folder. You can create new routes by adding a new file to this folder.
For example, if you want to create a route for a homepage, you can add a file called pages/index.js. This file will define the route for the homepage. You can also create dynamic routes, such as pages/[id].js, which will match any URL that has an id parameter.
Adding Components
Now that you have your routes set up, you can start adding components to them. Components in Next.js are just React components. You can create a new component by adding a new file to the components/ folder.
For example, if you want to create a button component, you can add a file called components/Button.js. This file will contain the code for your button component. You can then import this component into any of your routes and use it.
Code Splitting
Next.js comes with built-in code splitting. This means that you can split your application into smaller chunks so that only the code that’s needed for a particular page is loaded. This can help reduce the overall size of your application and improve loading times.
To enable code splitting, you need to add the React.lazy() component to your routes. This will tell Next.js to split the code for that route into smaller chunks. You can also use the Suspense component to show a loading state while the code for a route is being loaded.
Static Exporting
Next.js also comes with built-in static exporting. This feature allows you to export the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript of your application as static files. These files can then be served directly from a CDN or other static hosting provider.
To enable static exporting, you need to add the exportPathMap function to your next.config.js file. This function will define which routes should be exported as static files. You can then run the next build command to export your application as static files.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve explained how to build with Next.js. We’ve covered topics such as setting up a project, creating routes, adding components, code splitting, and static exporting. With Next.js, you can quickly set up a production-grade web application with all the features you need.