Building Modern Web Applications with Next.js and TypeScript

Next.js has revolutionized the way we build React applications, offering powerful features like server-side rendering, static site generation, and the new App Router. Combined with TypeScript, it provides an excellent foundation for building scalable, maintainable web applications.

Why Next.js + TypeScript?

Type Safety

TypeScript brings compile-time type checking, catching errors before they reach production:

interface User {
  id: string
  name: string
  email: string
  role: 'admin' | 'user'
}

const getUser = async (id: string): Promise<User> => {
  const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${id}`)
  return response.json()
}

Server Components

Next.js 14's App Router introduces React Server Components, enabling better performance:

// This component runs on the server
async function BlogPost({ params }: { params: { slug: string } }) {
  const post = await getPost(params.slug)
  
  return (
    <article>
      <h1>{post.title}</h1>
      <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: post.content }} />
    </article>
  )
}

Key Features to Leverage

1. File-based Routing: Organize your pages intuitively
2. API Routes: Build your backend alongside your frontend
3. Image Optimization: Automatic image optimization and loading
4. Built-in CSS Support: Sass, CSS Modules, and CSS-in-JS out of the box

Best Practices

Project Structure

src/
├── app/
│   ├── (routes)/
│   ├── api/
│   └── globals.css
├── components/
│   ├── ui/
│   └── forms/
├── lib/
│   ├── utils.ts
│   └── types.ts
└── data/
    └── constants.ts

Error Handling

Always implement proper error boundaries and loading states:

export default function Loading() {
  return <div>Loading...</div>
}

export default function Error({
  error,
  reset,
}: {
  error: Error
  reset: () => void
}) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h2>Something went wrong!</h2>
      <button onClick={reset}>Try again</button>
    </div>
  )
}

Conclusion

Next.js 14 with TypeScript provides a solid foundation for modern web applications. The combination of type safety, server components, and excellent developer experience makes it an ideal choice for projects of any scale.

Start your next project with this stack, and you'll be building faster, more reliable applications in no time!