When it comes to styling Next.js applications, developers have several options to choose from. Here are some common approaches:

1. CSS Modules: CSS Modules allow you to write CSS styles in a modular way, where each component's styles are scoped locally by default. This helps prevent CSS class name conflicts and makes it easier to maintain stylesheets. To use CSS Modules in Next.js, simply create .module.css files alongside your components, and Next.js will automatically handle the scoping.

2. CSS-in-JS Libraries: CSS-in-JS libraries like styled-components, emotion, and styled-jsx provide a way to write CSS styles directly within your JavaScript code. This approach offers benefits such as dynamic styling, theming, and component-based styling. To use styled-components in Next.js, you can install the package and start writing styled components as regular React components.

    npm install styled-components
   

    import styled from 'styled-components';
   
    const Button = styled.button`
      background-color: #007bff;
      color: white;
      padding: 8px 16px;
      border: none;
      border-radius: 4px;
      cursor: pointer;
      &:hover {
        background-color: #0056b3;
      }
    `;
   
    export default Button;
   

3. Global CSS: Next.js also supports traditional global CSS files for styling your application. You can create global CSS files in the pages directory or use the pages/_app.js file to import global CSS files.

    // pages/_app.js
    import '../styles/globals.css';
   
    function MyApp({ Component, pageProps }) {
      return <Component {...pageProps} />;
    }
   
    export default MyApp;
   

   Alternatively, you can import global CSS files in individual components as needed using the import statement.

Each styling method has its benefits and fits different needs, so pick the one that suits your project and preferences best. Next.js also lets you combine these methods in the same app, so you can use the best of each where it makes sense.