Next Js : Installation and Project structure

Next.js is a popular open-source React framework used for building server-side rendered (SSR) web applications. It provides developers with a comprehensive solution for building complex web applications that can be rendered on both the server and client side.

In this blog, we will walk through the installation process of Next.js and its project structure.

Installation

Before installing Next.js, you need to ensure that you have Node.js and npm installed on your system. If you don’t have it, you can download and install it from the official Node.js website.

Once you have Node.js and npm installed, you can install Next.js using the following command in your terminal:

npm install next

Alternatively, you can use the yarn package manager:

yarn add next

Project Structure

Next.js has a predefined project structure that you can use as a starting point for your application. The structure is as follows:

├── .next/
├── node_modules/
├── pages/
│   ├── index.js
│   └── about.js
├── public/
│   ├── favicon.ico
│   └── vercel.svg
├── styles/
│   ├── globals.css
│   └── Home.module.css
├── package.json
└── README.md

Here’s a brief description of each directory and file:

• .next/ – This directory contains the Next.js build output, which includes the client-side and server-side code.
• node_modules/ – This directory contains all the dependencies installed for the project.
• pages/ – This directory contains all the application's pages. By default, Next.js uses the file name to create the URL path for the page. For example, index.js creates the URL path /, and about.js creates the URL path /about.
• public/ – This directory contains all the static assets used in the application, such as images and fonts.
• styles/ – This directory contains all the CSS files used in the application.
• package.json – This file contains the project’s metadata and the list of dependencies.
• README.md – This file contains the instructions on how to run the project and other useful information.

We have read about the installation and structure of Next.js in this blog. Next.js is a robust web application builder that can be used both on the client and server sides. Developers can build applications quickly with its predefined project structure.