Creating a Responsive Navbar Using Next.js and Tailwind CSS
Tags: nextjs, react, navbar, webdev
Published: 2023-09-18 11:58:32


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/t2gg505s1zpv0yasoyuz.png)
In modern web development, creating responsive and user-friendly navigation bars is a crucial aspect of designing a website or web application. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through the process of building a responsive navigation bar using React, Next.js, and Tailwind CSS. We’ll also explore how to implement navigation links and toggle functionality for smaller screens.

## Prerequisites
Before we begin, ensure you have the following tools and technologies installed:

- Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager)
- Next.js: A React framework for building server-rendered applications.
- Tailwind CSS: A utility-first CSS framework for quickly styling your components.

## Setting Up the Project

1. Creating a New Next.js Project
2. Start by creating a new Next.js project. Open your terminal and run the following commands:

`npx create-next-app responsive-navbar cd responsive-navbar`

**Installing Dependencies**
Inside the project directory, install the required dependencies:
`npm install react-icons`

1. The react-icons package provides a collection of popular icons for use in your components.
2. Building the Responsive Navigation Bar
3. Create a new file named Navbar.js in the components directory. Paste the following code into the file:

```
import Link from "next/link";
import React, { useState } from "react";
import { FaBars, FaTimes } from "react-icons/fa";

const Navbar = () => {
    const [nav, setNav] = useState(false);

  const links = [
    {
      id: 1,
      link: "home",
    },
    {
      id: 2,
      link: "about",
    },
    {
      id: 3,
      link: "portfolio",
    },
    {
      id: 4,
      link: "experience",
    },
    {
      id: 5,
      link: "contact",
    },
  ];

  return (
    <div className="flex justify-between items-center w-full h-20 px-4 text-white bg-black fixed nav">
      <div>
        {/* <h1 className="text-5xl font-signature ml-2"><a className="link-underline hover:transition ease-in-out delay-150 hover:underline hover:decoration-solid" href="">Logo</a></h1> */}
        <h1 className="text-5xl font-signature ml-2">
          <a
            className="link-underline link-underline-black"
            href=""
            target="_blank"
            rel="noreferrer"
          >
            Logo
          </a>
        </h1>
      </div>

      <ul className="hidden md:flex">
        {links.map(({ id, link }) => (
          <li
            key={id}
            className="nav-links px-4 cursor-pointer capitalize font-medium text-gray-500 hover:scale-105 hover:text-white duration-200 link-underline"
          >
            <Link href={link}>{link}</Link>
          </li>
        ))}
      </ul>

      <div
        onClick={() => setNav(!nav)}
        className="cursor-pointer pr-4 z-10 text-gray-500 md:hidden"
      >
        {nav ? <FaTimes size={30} /> : <FaBars size={30} />}
      </div>

      {nav && (
        <ul className="flex flex-col justify-center items-center absolute top-0 left-0 w-full h-screen bg-gradient-to-b from-black to-gray-800 text-gray-500">
          {links.map(({ id, link }) => (
            <li
              key={id}
              className="px-4 cursor-pointer capitalize py-6 text-4xl"
            >
              <Link onClick={() => setNav(!nav)} href={link}>
                {link}
              </Link>
            </li>
          ))}
        </ul>
      )}
    </div>
  );
};

export default Navbar;
```

## Integrating the Navbar Component

Using the Navbar Component
Open the layout.js file and import the Navbar component.

```
import { Inter } from "next/font/google";
import "./style.css";
import Navbar from "../components/Navbar";
const inter = Inter({ subsets: ["latin"] });

export const metadata = {
  title: "Create Next App",
  description: "Generated by create next app",
};

export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <body className={inter.className}>
        <Navbar />
        {children}
      </body>
    </html>
  );
}
```

## Styling the Navigation Bar

To style the navigation bar, we’ve used Tailwind CSS classes. You can customize these classes according to your design preferences by modifying the relevant attributes.

## Conclusion
In this tutorial, we’ve built a responsive navigation bar using React, Next.js, and Tailwind CSS. The navigation bar adapts to different screen sizes and provides a smooth user experience. You can further enhance this component by adding animations, additional links, or even dropdown menus. This responsive navigation bar will help you create modern and user-friendly interfaces for your web applications.