Next js Advance Topics
Tags: javascript, nextjs, codenewbie, react
Published: 2023-09-17 13:30:27

## Introduction

Next.js has become very popular in the world of web development due to its simplicity, performance and versatility. A React framework that makes server-side rendering (SSR) and static paging (SSG) straightforward. While beginners can get started quickly with the basic concepts of Next.js, there are more advanced features that can help you take your web development skills to the next level. In this article, we'll explore advanced Next.js topics and beginner-friendly practical examples.

1. **Custom Serverr**

Next.js comes with a built-in server, but sometimes you can customize it to suit the specific needs of your application. Next.js to create a custom server. You can use the Express library together with this example:

```javascript
// server.js
const Express = request ( 'Express' );
const next = required ( 'next' );

const dev = process.env.NODE_ENV! == 'production';
const application = next({dev});
const Handler = app.getRequestHandler();

app.setup(). then (() => {
  const server = express();

  server.get('/custom-route', (req, res) => {
    return app.render(req, res, '/custom', req.query);
  });

  server.all('*', (req, res) => {
    return handle (req, res);
  });

  server.listen(3000, (false) => {
    if (error) throw;
    console.log('>http://localhost:3000') ready;
  });
});
```

2. **Dynamic import**

Dynamic import allows components or modules to be loaded only when needed. This can significantly improve the initial load time of your application. Here's an example:

```javascript
import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';

const DynamicComponent = dynamic (() => import ('../components/DynamicComponent'));

HomePage() function.
  return (
    <div>
      <p>Static content</p>
      <DynamicComponent/>
    </div>
  );
}

export main HomePage;
```

3. **API Routes**

Next.js provides a powerful way to create API endpoints in your application. You can add a JavaScript file to define your API route by creating a directory called "pages/api". Here is a simple example:

```javascript
// pages/api/hello.js
export function main (req, res) {
  res.status(200).json({message: 'Hello, Next.js API!'});
}
```

4. **API Authentication**

Authentication is an important aspect of web applications. Next.js can be integrated with various authentication libraries such as Firebase, Auth0 or Passport.js. You can use this library to identify users and protect your routes.

5. **Environmental Variables**

Managing environment variables is essential for storing sensitive information such as API keys and secrets. Next.js allows you to define environment variables in the ".env.local" file and access them using "process.env". For example:

```javascript
const apiKey = process.env.API_KEY;
```

6. **Internationalization (i18n)**

If your application needs to support multiple languages, Next.js offers excellent support for i18n. To internationalize and translate your programs, you can use libraries like "next-translation" or "react-intl".

7. **Middleware**

You can use middleware to run your Next.js application. Middleware functions can store requests and perform actions such as authentication checks, registrations, or modifying request/response objects.

## The results

Learning these advanced Next.js concepts will improve your web development skills and enable you to build more complex and efficient web applications. 

You can take full advantage of Next.js by configuring your server, using dynamic imports, creating API routes, performing authentication, managing environment variables, adding internationalization, and using middleware. As a student, don't be afraid to try these concepts in your projects, as they will definitely contribute to your development as a web developer.