Getting Started with Next.js 14

Next.js 14 brings a lot of exciting features to the table. In this tutorial, we'll explore the fundamentals and get you up and running with your first Next.js application.

What is Next.js?

Next.js is a React framework that provides additional features like server-side rendering, static site generation, and file-based routing. It's built by Vercel and has become the go-to framework for production-ready React applications.

Key Features

1. App Router

The new App Router introduces React Server Components by default, providing better performance and a simpler mental model.

// app/page.js
export default function Home() {
  return (
    <main>
      <h1>Hello, Next.js 14!</h1>
    </main>
  )
}

2. Server Components

Server Components allow you to render components on the server, reducing the amount of JavaScript sent to the client.

3. File-Based Routing

Create routes by simply adding files to the app directory:

app/
├── page.js         // -> /
├── about/
│   └── page.js     // -> /about
└── blog/
    ├── page.js     // -> /blog
    └── [slug]/
        └── page.js // -> /blog/:slug

Getting Started

Start by creating a new Next.js project:

npx create-next-app@latest my-app
cd my-app
npm run dev

Styling with Tailwind CSS

Next.js pairs beautifully with Tailwind CSS:

npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p

Then configure your tailwind.config.js:

module.exports = {
  content: [
    './app/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx,mdx}',
    './components/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx,mdx}',
  ],
  theme: {
    extend: {},
  },
  plugins: [],
}

Data Fetching

With the App Router, data fetching is simpler than ever:

async function getPosts() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/posts')
  return res.json()
}

export default async function BlogPage() {
  const posts = await getPosts()

  return (
    <main>
      {posts.map(post => (
        <article key={post.id}>{post.title}</article>
      ))}
    </main>
  )
}

Conclusion

Next.js 14 is a powerful framework for building modern web applications. Its developer experience and performance optimizations make it an excellent choice for your next project.

Happy coding! 🚀