What is the project structure of Next.js?

What is the project structure of Next.js?

The typical Next.js application has a project structure that organizes files and folders in a way that makes development easier. This includes managing pages, components, styles, and other resources. Here's an overview of the usual project structure:

project-root/
│
├── pages/                 # Directory for Next.js pages
│   ├── index.js           # Home page (example)
│   ├── about.js           # About page (example)
│   ├── contact/           # Nested route: /contact
│   │   └── index.js       # Contact page
│   └── [...slug].js       # Dynamic route example
│
├── public/                # Static assets like images, fonts, etc.
│   ├── favicon.ico        # Example favicon
│   ├── images/            # Directory for images
│   └── ...
│
├── components/            # Reusable React components
│   ├── Layout.js          # Example layout component
│   ├── Header.js          # Example header component
│   └── ...
│
├── styles/                # CSS, SCSS, or other styling files
│   ├── globals.css        # Global styles
│   ├── layout.module.css  # Styles for layout components
│   └── ...
│
├── public/                # Static assets like images, fonts, etc.
│   ├── favicon.ico        # Example favicon
│   ├── images/            # Directory for images
│   └── ...
│
├── api/                   # Directory for API routes (optional)
│   ├── users.js           # Example API route
│   ├── products.js        # Example API route
│   └── ...
│
├── .next/                 # Next.js build output (auto-generated)
│   ├── cache/             # Cache used for incremental builds
│   ├── server/            # Server-side build output
│   └── ...
│
├── node_modules/          # Dependencies (auto-generated)
│
├── package.json           # Project configuration and dependencies
└── ...

Here's a brief explanation of each main folder and file:

  • pages: This directory contains Next.js pages, where each JavaScript or TypeScript file represents a route. For example, index.js corresponds to the home page, about.js to the about page, etc. Nested routes can also be created using folders.

  • public: This directory is used for static assets like images, fonts, and other files. These assets can be referenced directly in your code.

  • components: Reusable React components are stored in this directory. These components can be used across different pages of the application.

  • styles: CSS, SCSS, or other styling files can be stored here. Next.js supports various styling methods, including global styles and CSS modules.

  • api: This directory is optional and is used for creating API routes in Next.js. These API routes can be used for handling server-side logic or interacting with external services.

  • .next: This directory is auto-generated by Next.js and contains the build output. It includes server-side code, client-side code, and other build artifacts.

  • node_modules: This directory contains project dependencies installed via npm or Yarn.

  • package.json: This file contains project metadata and dependencies. It also includes scripts for running various commands like starting the development server, building the project, etc.

This setup makes it easy to organize and manage Next.js projects, especially as they get bigger. Next.js also lets you customize and configure things, so you might see different project structures based on what a specific project needs or prefers.

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