Next JS Quick Start [Pages Routing]

Pages RoutingBuilding a Static Blog with Next.js: A Beginner's Journey

Embarking on the journey of building a web application can be both exciting and daunting. In this course, we will guide you through creating a fully static website using Next.js. The application we'll be building is a personal blog, a project that is both manageable for beginners and rich with learning opportunities.

What Will Our Blog Look Like?

By the end of this course, you will have developed a simple yet functional blog website. This site will allow you to post articles written in Markdown files, with each file automatically generating its own page on the website. Additionally, we will incorporate a Dark Mode switch, providing users the option to toggle between light and dark themes, enhancing the site's usability and appeal.

Getting Started with Next.js

Our journey begins with setting up a Next.js project. Next.js is a powerful framework built on top of React, providing several advantages such as improved performance and ease of development.

Project Setup

The first step is to set up a new Next.js project. This involves creating a new application, which serves as the foundation for everything we will build.

Understanding Pre-rendering

A key feature of Next.js is pre-rendering, which sets it apart from plain React. Pre-rendering generates HTML for each page at build time, significantly boosting performance and improving search engine optimization (SEO).

Page Navigation and Routing

Next.js offers a simple and intuitive way to handle page navigation through its file-based routing system. Each file within the pages directory automatically maps to a route, making it easy to manage and navigate between different sections of your site.

Styling Components with Styled JSX

Styling is an essential aspect of any web application. In this course, we'll use Styled JSX, a library that allows you to write scoped CSS directly within your components, ensuring styles are encapsulated and do not interfere with other parts of your application.

Loading Data in Next.js

One of the crucial skills you'll learn is how to load data into your Next.js pages. In our blog, we'll read article data from local Markdown files. This approach introduces you to data fetching in Next.js, a concept that is applicable to various data sources, including APIs.

Building Dynamic Routes

Dynamic routes are essential for creating pages that share the same layout but display different content. In our case, this will allow us to use a single component to generate multiple blog post pages, each corresponding to a different Markdown file.

Adding a Dark Mode Switch

To enhance the user experience, we'll add a Dark Mode switch. This feature not only makes the site more visually appealing but also serves as an example of how to implement client-side functionality in a Next.js application.

Understanding Hydration

Hydration is a process unique to frameworks like Next.js, where server-rendered components become interactive on the client side. This ensures that any client-side JavaScript takes over the static HTML generated on the server, allowing for dynamic interactions such as our Dark Mode switch.

Deploying Your Application

Finally, we'll explore how to deploy your application. Next.js offers flexibility, allowing deployment on various platforms, including static hosting providers. We'll discuss different deployment options, ensuring your blog is accessible to the world.

With these steps, you're well on your way to building a fully static blog using Next.js. This course provides a comprehensive understanding of essential Next.js features, setting you up for success in your web development journey. Let's dive in and start creating!