Next.js 14 Server Actions and API Routes

In Next.js, there are two main approaches to handle data fetching: Server Actions and API Routes. Both have their advantages and use cases, and the choice depends on your specific requirements and constraints.

Server Actions:

**Server Actions are a new feature introduced in Next.js 13, designed to handle server-side operations and data fetching directly from a React component. They are meant to replace traditional API routes for certain use cases.
Advantages of Server Actions:

Tighter integration with React components: Server Actions are defined within React components, allowing for a more cohesive and organized codebase.
Simplified data fetching: With Server Actions, you can directly import and use server-side logic and utilities within your React components, eliminating the need for separate API routes.
Improved developer experience: Server Actions provide a more streamlined developer experience by removing the need to switch between client and server contexts.

Use cases for Server Actions:

Simple data fetching operations
Form submissions
User authentication and authorization
Handling sensitive data or operations that should not be exposed through public API routes

API Routes:

API Routes are a well-established feature in Next.js that allows you to create server-side API endpoints within your application.
Advantages of API Routes:

Separation of concerns: API Routes separate the server-side logic from the client-side React components, promoting a more modular and maintainable codebase.
Flexibility: API Routes can handle a wide range of use cases, from simple data fetching to complex server-side operations and integrations with third-party services.
Reusability: API Routes can be consumed not only by your Next.js application but also by other clients or services, making them more versatile and reusable.
Scalability: API Routes can be easily scaled and deployed independently from the client-side application, allowing for more efficient resource allocation and scaling strategies.

Use cases for API Routes:

Complex data fetching and manipulation operations
Integrations with external APIs or services
Handling sensitive data or operations that should be isolated from the client-side code
Exposing a public API for third-party clients or services

In general, if you have simple data fetching requirements and operations that are tightly coupled with your React components, Server Actions can be a more convenient and streamlined approach. However, if you have more complex data fetching and server-side operations, or if you need to expose a public API for third-party clients or services, API Routes might be a better choice.
Ultimately, the decision between Server Actions and API Routes depends on your specific use case, the complexity of your data fetching operations, and your team's preferences and familiarity with either approach.

Comments

[Rishad Omar]

I'm a newbie to nextjs. When a nextjs app is deployed where is the server code deployed ?

[Robiul]

Production Builds
Next.js with Vercel, Running next build generates an optimized version of your application for production. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files are created based on your pages. JavaScript is compiled and browser bundles are minified using the Next.js Compiler to help achieve the best performance and support all modern browsers.

We can check that the first run npm run build of the build command in our development machine generates an optimized version and then look into the app directory .next we will see many files such as cache/ server/ static/ types/ so one. those files will be stored on Vercel or any hosting platform after deploying nextjs app.

Those files are served through nextjs app either server components or client components.

Please let me know that you understand or not

[Rishad Omar]

I don't understand completely. I plan on deploying to google firebase. Will do my first deploy and see how things go. Thank you for your response