🔧 How to Create a New Next.js Project Step-by-Step (Beginner's Guide 2025)

Next.js is a React framework developed by Vercel that enables developers to build fast, scalable, and feature-rich web applications with ease. It enhances React by adding powerful capabilities out-of-the-box, such as routing, server-side rendering, and API routes.

🧠 What Is Next.js?

Next.js = React + Features for Production

It's used for building:

Web apps
Static sites
Server-rendered React apps
Full-stack apps (with backend APIs)

🛠️ Step 1: Prerequisites

Make sure you have these installed:

Node.js (version 18.x or newer)
npm or yarn (comes with Node.js)

Check versions:

bash
node -v
npm -v

🚀 Step 2: Create a New Next.js Project

You can use the official create-next-app tool:

With npm:

bash
npx create-next-app@latest my-next-app

With yarn:

bash
yarn create next-app my-next-app

You’ll be prompted to choose:

TypeScript or JavaScript
Tailwind CSS integration
App Router (✅ recommended)
ESLint, src directory, etc.

Choose based on your needs. For most modern projects:

✅ Yes to:

TypeScript
Tailwind CSS
App Router (instead of Pages Router)
ESLint
src/ directory structure

📁 Step 3: Navigate to Your Project Folder

bash
cd my-next-app

🧪 Step 4: Run the Development Server

bash
npm run dev

bash
yarn dev

Now open your browser and go to:

arduino
http://localhost:3000

You’ll see the default Next.js welcome page.

🧱 Step 5: Explore Project Structure

Typical structure with src/:

vbnet
my-next-app/
├─ src/
│  ├─ app/         → App Router pages
│  ├─ components/  → Your UI components
│  ├─ styles/      → Tailwind or global CSS
├─ public/         → Static files (images, etc.)
├─ .eslintrc.json
├─ next.config.js
├─ tailwind.config.js (if selected)

✨ Next Steps

Modify src/app/page.tsx for the homepage.
Add new routes inside src/app/ (e.g., about/page.tsx)
Start building components in src/components/

🌟 Key Features of Next.js

1. 🧭 App Router (File-Based Routing)

Create pages simply by adding files inside the app/ directory (or pages/ in older versions).
Supports nested layouts and dynamic routes.

2. ⚡ Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

Renders pages on the server at request time.
Improves SEO and first-load performance.

3. 🚀 Static Site Generation (SSG)

Pre-renders pages at build time for speed and caching.
Ideal for blogs, docs, and marketing pages.

4. 🔁 Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR)

Regenerates static pages after deployment without rebuilding the whole site.
Combines the best of SSR and SSG.

5. 📦 Built-in API Routes

Create backend endpoints in the same project.
Great for handling form submissions, auth, etc.

6. 🧩 React Server Components

Allows splitting server and client logic.
Improves performance by reducing client-side JS.

7. 🎨 Built-in CSS & Tailwind Support

Supports global CSS, CSS modules, Sass, and integration with Tailwind CSS out of the box.

8. 🌐 Image Optimization

The <Image> component provides automatic resizing, lazy loading, and formats like WebP.

9. 🌍 Internationalization (i18n)

Built-in support for multiple languages and locales.

10. 🛠️ TypeScript & ESLint Ready

First-class support for TypeScript.
Built-in ESLint setup for code quality.

11. 📡 Streaming & Suspense

Supports React 18 features like Streaming and Suspense for better data fetching UX.

12. ☁️ Easy Deployment with Vercel

Seamless integration with Vercel, the company behind Next.js.
Also supports custom servers, Docker, or other hosting platforms.

✅ When to Use Next.js

You want a production-ready React framework
You need SSR or SSG
You're building SEO-friendly pages
You want to use React + backend APIs in one codebase