Getting Started with Next.js 14 and TypeScript

Next.js has become one of the most popular React frameworks for building modern web applications. With the release of Next.js 14, we got even more powerful features and improvements. In this post, I'll walk you through why Next.js is a great choice and how to get started.

Why Next.js?

Next.js offers several compelling advantages:

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Improve SEO and initial page load times
• Static Site Generation (SSG): Pre-render pages at build time
• API Routes: Build your backend API alongside your frontend
• File-based Routing: Intuitive routing based on file structure
• TypeScript Support: First-class TypeScript integration
• Great Developer Experience: Fast refresh, excellent error messages, and more

Setting Up a New Project

Getting started with Next.js is incredibly simple:

bash
1npx create-next-app@latest my-app --typescript
2cd my-app
3npm run dev

This will create a new Next.js project with TypeScript already configured.

The App Router

• React Server Components: Better performance by default
• Streaming: Progressive rendering for faster perceived load times
• Layouts: Share UI between routes easily
• Loading & Error States: Built-in support for loading and error UI

Project Structure

A typical Next.js 14 project with the App Router looks like this:

code
1app/
2├── layout.tsx       # Root layout
3├── page.tsx         # Homepage
4├── api/            # API routes
5│   └── hello/
6│       └── route.ts
7└── blog/
8    ├── page.tsx    # Blog list
9    └── [slug]/
10        └── page.tsx # Individual blog post

Creating Your First Page

Here's a simple page component:

typescript
1export default function Home() {
2  return (
3    <main>
4      <h1>Welcome to Next.js!</h1>
5      <p>This is a simple page built with Next.js 14.</p>
6    </main>
7  )
8}

Adding Metadata

Next.js 14 makes it easy to add metadata for SEO:

typescript
1export const metadata = {
2  title: 'My Blog',
3  description: 'A blog about web development',
4}
5
6export default function Home() {
7  // ...
8}

Dynamic Routes

Creating dynamic routes is straightforward. Just use square brackets in your folder name:

typescript
1// app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
2export default function BlogPost({ params }: { params: { slug: string } }) {
3  return <h1>Post: {params.slug}</h1>
4}

Data Fetching

Next.js 14 simplifies data fetching with async Server Components:

typescript
1async function getData() {
2  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/posts')
3  return res.json()
4}
5
6export default async function Posts() {
7  const posts = await getData()
8  
9  return (
10    <ul>
11      {posts.map(post => (
12        <li key={post.id}>{post.title}</li>
13      ))}
14    </ul>
15  )
16}

API Routes

Creating API endpoints is simple with Route Handlers:

typescript
1// app/api/hello/route.ts
2export async function GET() {
3  return Response.json({ message: 'Hello World' })
4}

Best Practices

Here are some tips for building with Next.js:

1. Use Server Components by default: Only use Client Components when needed
2. Implement proper error handling: Use error.tsx files
3. Add loading states: Use loading.tsx files
4. Optimize images: Use the Next.js Image component
5. Leverage caching: Understand and use Next.js caching strategies

TypeScript Integration

TypeScript works seamlessly with Next.js. You get:

• Automatic type checking
• IntelliSense in your IDE
• Type safety for your API routes
• Better refactoring capabilities

Deployment

Deploying to Vercel (made by the creators of Next.js) is incredibly easy:

bash
1npm run build
2vercel deploy

Or simply push to GitHub and connect your repository to Vercel for automatic deployments.

Conclusion

Next.js 14 with TypeScript provides an excellent foundation for building modern web applications. The framework handles many complex tasks for you, allowing you to focus on building great features.

Whether you're building a blog, an e-commerce site, or a complex web application, Next.js has the tools and performance you need.

Resources

• Next.js Documentation
• Next.js Learn Course
• TypeScript Handbook

What are your thoughts on Next.js 14? Have you tried the App Router yet? Share your experiences in the comments below!