Common Mistakes in Next.js and How to Avoid Them

Next.js has quickly become one of the most popular frameworks for building modern web applications. It offers a great developer experience with features like static site generation, server-side rendering, and API routes. However, as with any technology, there are common pitfalls that developers can fall into. Today, we will explore 5 of these common mistakes and how to avoid them to ensure your Next.js projects are optimized and maintainable.

Mistake 1: Misunderstanding the App Router

The App Router in Next.js provides a flexible and powerful way to handle routing, but beginners might misunderstand its capabilities and usage.

Understanding the App Router:

• File-Based Routing: The app directory is used for defining routes. Each directory under app corresponds to a route. For example, app/about/page.tsx will render the /about route.
• Layouts and Pages: The App Router supports nested layouts, which allow you to define a common layout for multiple routes. This helps in keeping your code organized and maintainable.
• Dynamic Routing: You can create dynamic routes by using square brackets in the directory name. For example, app/posts/[id]/page.tsx will match /posts/1, /posts/2, etc., in the routes.

Common Pitfalls:

• Incorrectly setting up routes and layouts.
• Confusing the structure with the older Pages Router.

Best Practices:

• Understand the structure: The app directory is used for defining routes, and each directory under app corresponds to a route.
• Use nested layouts for complex route structures to keep your code organized and maintainable.

Mistake 2: Misconfiguring Layouts and Pages

Next.js allows you to create reusable layouts that can wrap multiple pages, but beginners often misconfigure them.

Understanding Layouts and Pages:

• Layouts: Layouts are used to wrap multiple pages with a common UI. For example, you can have a header and footer that are common across multiple pages.
• Pages: Each page component is rendered inside its layout. This helps in creating a consistent look and feel across your application.

Common Pitfalls:

• Not separating layouts and pages correctly.
• Repeating layout code in multiple pages.

Best Practices:

• Define Layouts Separately: Create separate layout components and use them to wrap your pages. For example:

// app/layout.tsx
import Header from './Header';
import Footer from './Footer';

export default function Layout({ children }) {
  return (
    <>
      <Header />
      <main>{children}</main>
      <Footer />
    </>
  );
}

• This layout will be applied to all pages under current route. For example, if the layout is at app/layout.tsx, then it will be applied to app/page.tsx, app/route1/page.tsx, app/route2/page.tsx, etc.

Mistake 3: Improper Data Fetching with the App Router

Fetching data in Next.js can be done at various levels, and using the App Router can sometimes be confusing for beginners.

Understanding Data Fetching:

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR): getServerSideProps allows you to fetch data on every request. This is useful for pages that rely on user-specific data or frequently changing content.
• Static Site Generation (SSG): getStaticProps allows you to fetch data at build time, which improves performance and SEO. This is ideal for pages that don’t change frequently.
• Client-Side Fetching: Use client-side fetching with React hooks like useEffect for less critical or user-specific data.

Common Pitfalls:

• Fetching data in the wrong component or at the wrong lifecycle stage.
• Not leveraging the full potential of server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG).

Best Practices:

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Use getServerSideProps for data that needs to be fetched on every request. Example:

export async function getServerSideProps(context) {
  const res = await fetch(`https://api.example.com/data`);
  const data = await res.json();
  return { props: { data } };
}

function Page({ data }) {
  return <div>{data.content}</div>;
}

export default Page;

• Static Site Generation (SSG): Use getStaticProps for data that can be fetched at build time. Example:

export async function getStaticProps() {
  const res = await fetch(`https://api.example.com/data`);
  const data = await res.json();
  return { props: { data } };
}

function Page({ data }) {
  return <div>{data.content}</div>;
}

export default Page;

• Client-Side Fetching: For less critical or user-specific data, use client-side fetching with React hooks like useEffect.

Mistake 4: Not Leveraging API Routes

Next.js allows you to create API routes within the same project, but many beginners don't utilize them effectively.

Understanding API Routes:

• API Routes: API routes provide a way to build your API within a Next.js application. They are defined in the app/api directory, and each file in this directory corresponds to an endpoint.
• Serverless Functions: Each API route is a serverless function, allowing you to handle requests and responses without managing a separate server.

Common Pitfalls:

• Overcomplicating API route logic.
• Not handling errors properly in API routes.

Best Practices:

• Keep It Simple: Keep your API route logic simple and focused on a single task. Avoid monolithic API routes that handle multiple responsibilities.
• Error Handling: Implement proper error handling and send appropriate HTTP status codes. Example:

export default async function handler(req, res) {
  try {
    const data = await fetchData();
    res.status(200).json(data);
  } catch (error) {
    res.status(500).json({ error: 'Internal Server Error' });
  }
}

• Modularize Code: Break down complex logic into smaller, reusable functions. This makes your API routes easier to manage and test.

Mistake 5: Not Using Built-In CSS Support

Next.js comes with built-in support for CSS and CSS-in-JS, but many developers overlook this.

Understanding CSS Support:

• CSS Modules: CSS Modules allow you to scope CSS by automatically generating unique class names. This avoids style conflicts and makes styles modular.
• Global Styles: You can also import global CSS files for styles that need to be applied across the entire application.
• CSS-in-JS: Next.js supports styled-jsx out of the box, allowing you to write CSS directly within your JavaScript/TypeScript files.

Common Pitfalls:

• Using external CSS frameworks unnecessarily.
• Not taking advantage of scoped CSS modules.

Best Practices:

• CSS Modules: Use CSS Modules for component-level styling to avoid style conflicts and ensure modularity. Example:

import styles from './Component.module.css';

function Component() {
  return <div className={styles.container}>Hello World</div>;
}

export default Component;

• Global Styles: Use a global CSS file for styles that need to be applied across the entire application. Import this file in your custom App component.

import '../styles/globals.css';

function MyApp({ Component, pageProps }) {
  return <Component {...pageProps} />;
}

export default MyApp;

• CSS-in-JS: Consider using CSS-in-JS libraries like styled-jsx or Emotion for more dynamic styles. Next.js supports styled-jsx out of the box.

function Component() {
  return (
    <div>
      Hello World
      <style jsx>{`
        div {
          color: red;
        }
      `}</style>
    </div>
  );
}

export default Component;

Conclusion

Next.js is a powerful framework that offers many features to help build modern web applications efficiently. By avoiding these common mistakes and following best practices, you can ensure your Next.js projects are optimized, maintainable, and performant. Keep exploring and leveraging the full potential of Next.js to create amazing web experiences.

Comments

[Asif Khan]

IS there anyone that can guide me that what should I have to do (as a complete beginner) as a CS student? What best would you like to recommend me to do? Is there any specific roadmap available for it? Another thing that I'm having with right now is that I can't concentrate on one thing I want (but I don't what I even have to do) and I just want to learn everything which just made me confuse and I ended up in learning nothing. I was a little bit interested in making games but as a complete beginner (with no idea of anything) I just don't know how to do it or even how and from where to get an idea for making a game. If there's anyone that can suggest something then please do so it'll be very helpful. Thank you 🙌🏻

[Syed Mohammed Faham]

Hi Asif, I have also gone through a lot of these issues during my initial days as well. First and foremost I will suggest you to understand the basics of CS. One of the best resources for that is "CS50 course by Harvard" on youtube. It will teach you the basics of Computer Science well. After that you can pick up any one specific language such as Python or Java to understand the basics of programming. This should help you for the time being, also you can connect with me on LinkedIn for any other queries you have.