Next Starter Customization Strategies

Finding the right Next.js starter can be tricky when beginning a new project.

With some strategic customizations tailored to your app's unique needs, you can enhance any starter template into a high-performing launchpad for development success.

In this post, we'll explore essential Next.js starter customization strategies, including integrating tools like Tailwind CSS, Cypress, and Contentlayer to optimize for performance, testing, and content management at scale.

Introduction to NextJS Starter Customization

Customizing NextJS starters is key to building web apps that meet your specific project requirements. Rather than using a generic starter, tailoring the codebase to your needs results in better performance, scalability, and developer experience.

Exploring Next JS Starter Templates and Kits

NextJS offers a few ways to kickstart your application:

create-next-app - The official way to generate a NextJS app.
Starters - Pre-made templates with various frameworks, libraries, and tooling set up.
Boilerplates - More opinionated starters with a specific structure.

These options provide a solid foundation to start development faster. However, directly using them may include unused dependencies or config not ideal for your app.

The Importance of Customization for Project Requirements

Every web app has unique needs around:

Routing - Client-side, server-side rendering, static generation
Styling - CSS, Sass, CSS-in-JS
Data Fetching - API routes, serverless functions
Testing - Jest, React Testing Library, Cypress
Infrastructure - Vercel, AWS, GCP

Rather than stripping down a starter kit, it's better to customize what you need from the beginning. This results in an optimized codebase catered to your stack and use cases for the best developer experience.

The next sections dive into step-by-step strategies to customize a NextJS starter for your exact project requirements.

What does next start mean?

The next start command is used to start a Next.js application in production mode. Here's an overview of what it does:

Runs next build first to generate an optimized production build of your app. This bundles all the JavaScript, optimizes images, and prepares static pages/assets to serve.
Starts the Node.js server that will serve your production-ready Next.js app. This includes serving static pages as well as handling server-side rendering and API routes.
Enables production mode performance optimizations and features like automatic static optimization.
Allows you to specify a custom server file to override the default server logic if needed.

Some key things to know about next start:

It should only be used in production after running next build. Don't use it during development.
Great for testing your finalized, production-ready Next.js app locally before deployment.
Supports custom server configuration so you can tweak things like headers, routing, etc.
Can be configured to serve your app on a custom port with the -p flag.

So in summary, next start spins up a production version of your Next.js app by first building all the static assets and then starting the server. This allows you to validate your app works as expected before deployment.

What is Next.js used for?

Next.js is a popular React framework used for building full-stack web applications. Here are some of the key things Next.js is commonly used for:

Server-Side Rendering

One of the main benefits of Next.js is that it enables server-side rendering (SSR) out of the box. This means pages are generated on the server first before being sent to the browser. SSR improves performance and is great for SEO.

Static Site Generation

Next.js supports static site generation (SSG) which renders pages at build time. This results in faster page loads and improved performance. SSG is perfect for sites with mostly static content.

API Routes

Next.js offers built-in support for API routes which makes building the backend for web apps simple. This allows you to have both frontend and backend code in one codebase.

Easy Page Routing

Client-side routing is handled automatically by Next.js. You can build multi-page web apps easily without having to manually configure routes.

Rich Developer Experience

Next.js aims to provide a great developer experience with features like Fast Refresh, Image Optimization, Built-in CSS Support, TypeScript Support, and more. These capabilities accelerate development.

In summary, Next.js excels at building fast, SEO-friendly, production-ready web applications. Its extensive features set focused on developer experience makes it a popular choice for React projects.

Is Next.js the same as React?

No, Next.js is not the same as React. Here is a quick overview of the key differences:

Next.js is a React Framework

Next.js is an open-source React framework built on top of React library
It provides additional features like server-side rendering, routing, and more
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces

Key Features of Next.js

Server-Side Rendering - Next.js pre-renders pages on the server for faster page loads
Automatic Code Splitting - Next.js splits code automatically to load pages faster
Simple Page Routing - Easy client and server side routing with no extra configuration
Rich Data Fetching - Built-in methods to fetch data for pages
Hybrid: SSG and SSR - Flexible static generation (SSG) and server-side rendering (SSR) modes
Fast Refresh - Fast refreshing of React components without losing their state

So in summary, Next.js gives you a production-ready React framework out of the box with SSR, routing, optimizations and more features while React is just the view layer library that Next.js builds on top of.

Should I learn React or Next.js first?

Learning React first can provide a solid foundation before diving into Next.js. Here are some key points on the best learning path:

Learn React Basics First

Focus on core React concepts like components, props, state, hooks, routing
Build some small React apps to get familiar with React architectural paradigm
Getting comfortable with React will make learning Next.js easier

Then Layer on Next.js

Next.js builds on top of React framework
Handles routing, server-side rendering, optimization out of the box
Can integrate other libraries like TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
Learn basic Next.js setup, pages, Link component, getStaticProps/getServerSideProps

Reasons to Start with React

Simpler to learn React building blocks first
More flexibility to build any type of React app before adding Next.js
React skills transferable if using other React frameworks

When to Start with Next.js

If building a static site, Jamstack app, or server-rendered pages
For SEO optimization with server-side rendering
To leverage built-in Next.js performance, optimization features

So in summary, learning React first creates a solid base. But you can start with Next if your project specifically requires its capabilities like static generation for a marketing site.

Setting Up Your NextJS Starter

Initializing a Next.js project provides a solid foundation to build upon. There are a few common methods for scaffolding a new app:

Using 'create-next-app' for Project Initialization

The create-next-app package offers a quick way to bootstrap a Next app with sensible defaults:

npx create-next-app my-app

This generates a new Next.js project called my-app using the latest stable Next version.

Some benefits of create-next-app:

Sets up Next.js fundamentals like routing, API routes, etc.
Includes ESLint for code linting by default
Supports TypeScript
Easy customization

Opting for TypeScript with 'create next-app --typescript'

To initialize a Next.js app with TypeScript support from the start:

npx create-next-app --typescript my-app

The --typescript flag scaffolds the project with:

TypeScript config
Example TypeScript files
Strict ESLint rules tuned for TypeScript

This streamlines adding TypeScript to your components and pages.

Leveraging Yarn for NextJS App Creation

Another option is using Yarn's create next-app command:

yarn create next-app my-app

Benefits include:

Faster install speed
Version locking for dependencies
Network resilience features

The output is nearly identical to create-next-app.

Choosing a Free Next JS Template

Instead of a blank project, you can start from a Next.js template. Some popular free starters include:

Next.js TypeScript Starter - Comes configured with TypeScript, ESLint, Jest, React Testing Library, and more.
Next Right Now - A flexible, multi-purpose boilerplate supporting SSG, SSR, etc.
NextJS MongoDB App - Includes MongoDB integration with user authentication.

Evaluating your project's technical needs can help narrow down template options. Overall, leveraging an existing Next.js starter kit accelerates the development process.

Customizing the NextJS Starter Code Base

Customizing a NextJS starter allows developers to tailor the initial codebase to meet specific project requirements. This section covers key customization strategies.

Incorporating Dynamic Routes and Client-Side Routing

Dynamic routes enable passing dynamic path segments to pages. This allows creating pages like /post/[id] that render based on the id value.

To add dynamic routes:

// pages/post/[id].js

export default function Post({ post }) {
  // Display post based on id
}

export async function getStaticPaths() {
  // Return list of possible id values 
}

export async function getStaticProps({ params }) {
  // Fetch post data based on params.id
}

Client-side routing avoids full page refreshes. Use NextJS's Link component for client-side navigation.

import Link from 'next/link';

function Nav() {
  return (
    <Link href="/about">
      <a>About</a>
    </Link>
  )
}

Enhancing Pre-rendering Techniques

NextJS supports pre-rendering via static generation and server-side rendering.

Use getStaticProps/getStaticPaths for static generation:

export async function getStaticProps() {
  // Fetch data at build time
} 

export async function getStaticPaths() {
  // Return predefined paths 
}

Use getServerSideProps for server-side rendering:

export async function getServerSideProps() {
  // Fetch data on each request
}

This provides performance/SEO benefits over client-side rendering.

Integrating Built-in CSS and Sass Support

Import CSS files directly:

import '../styles/global.css';

NextJS bundles CSS so you can write modular CSS.

Sass preprocessors are also supported for advanced features like variables, nesting, and mixins.

Leveraging CSS-in-JS for Component-Level Styles

Solutions like Styled Components allow CSS scoping styles to components:

import styled from 'styled-components';

const Title = styled.h1`
  font-size: 50px;
  color: ${props => props.color}; 
`;

This avoids conflicts from global styles.

Utilizing Fast Refresh and next/image for Development Efficiency

Fast Refresh provides lightning fast iteration:

yarn dev

next/image optimizes images automatically:

import Image from 'next/image';

function Banner() {
  return <Image src="/banner.png" width={1920} height={1080} alt="Banner" />
}

These features enhance developer experience.

In summary, NextJS starters enable fully customizing the initial project codebase to suit specific requirements via dynamic routes, pre-rendering strategies, CSS approaches, Fast Refresh, next/image, and more.

Integrating Essential Tools and Plugins

Integrating additional tools and plugins into a Next.js starter can enhance development workflows and project quality. Here are some recommendations for setting up useful additions like ESLint, Prettier, Tailwind CSS, Jest, Cypress, Husky and commitlint.

Setting Up ESLint for Code Quality

ESLint helps enforce consistent coding standards and avoid errors by:

Installing ESLint and related plugins:

npm install eslint @typescript-eslint/eslint-plugin @typescript-eslint/parser --save-dev

Creating an .eslintrc config file with rules like:

{
  "extends": [
    "eslint:recommended", 
    "plugin:@typescript-eslint/recommended"
  ]
}

Adding scripts to package.json like:

"lint": "eslint src/**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}"

This automates linting across the codebase for quality and consistency.

Configuring Prettier for Consistent Formatting

Prettier further standardizes code formatting by:

Installing Prettier and integrating with ESLint:

npm install prettier eslint-config-prettier --save-dev

Creating a .prettierrc config file with rules
Adding formatting commands to package.json like:

"format": "prettier --write ."

Now code adheres to consistent styling guidelines.

Tailwind CSS Integration for Rapid UI Development

Add Tailwind CSS for utility-first styling:

Install Tailwind and dependencies:

npm install tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer

Generate config files:

npx tailwindcss init

Include Tailwind directives in CSS:

@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;  
@tailwind utilities;

With Tailwind, UIs can be constructed rapidly using utility classes.

Enhancing Testing with Jest and Cypress

Include test frameworks like Jest and Cypress:

Jest for unit testing components
Cypress for E2E testing flows

This improves test coverage and code stability.

Streamlining Git Workflows with Husky and commitlint

Husky and commitlint automate:

Git hook triggers on commits
Commit message linting

Ensuring standardization and preventing errors.

Optimizing for Performance and SEO

Next.js provides built-in performance insights and SEO optimization techniques that can be leveraged to improve your NextJS starter. Here are some strategies to consider:

Leveraging NextJS's Built-in Performance Insights

Next.js has excellent performance monitoring built-in. You can utilize the next/image component for automatic image optimization, and enable tracing to get detailed performance insights. Some tips:

Enable tracing in next.config.js to see granular performance metrics
Use next/image to lazily load images and automatically optimize them
Check for unused CSS and JavaScript to reduce bundle sizes
Monitor client-side routing performance and tweak data fetching
Set correct caching headers for static assets

SEO Optimization Techniques

Some SEO best practices to implement in your NextJS starter:

Use next/head to add title, meta descriptions, Open Graph tags
Enable server-side rendering to serve fully rendered HTML to crawlers
Create a robots.txt file and sitemap.xml
Add schema.org structured data where applicable
Check for duplicate page titles and meta descriptions
Monitor Core Web Vitals scores

Serverless Storage Solutions for Scalable Infrastructure

To scale to enterprise workloads, consider using a serverless storage solution with Next.js:

Cloud storage like S3 or Cloudinary for files
Fauna or DynamoDB for database
Serverless functions for API routes
A CMS like Contentful or Sanity for content

This provides a serverless infrastructure that can scale easily without much operational overhead.

Building for the Future: Advanced NextJS Customizations

NextJS offers powerful customization options to build scalable, future-proof applications. Here are some advanced strategies to take your NextJS starter to the next level.

Adopting Scalable Infrastructure for Enterprise Applications

To prepare your NextJS app for enterprise-level traffic and complexity:

Leverage serverless functions and CDNs for auto-scaling infrastructure
Enable zero-downtime deployments for continuous delivery
Implement caching and compression for fast performance
Use TypeScript for scale and team collaboration
Add testing frameworks like Jest and Cypress for confidence in changes
Incorporate analytics and monitoring for performance insights

For example, here is sample code to add a serverless function:

export default async (req, res) => {
  // Serverless function logic  
};

Composable Ecommerce with NextJS

Build flexible ecommerce with independent components:

Product displays to showcase items
Shopping carts for order management
Checkout flows to capture payments
Dashboard to view analytics

This allows swapping components as needed.

Import components on pages:

import ProductList from 'components/ProductList';

export default () => (
  <ProductList />
);

Integrating with Web Apps and Third-Party Services

Connect to other apps via REST APIs or SDKs. For example:

Shopify API for ecommerce
Slack API for notifications
Stripe SDK for payments

Use environment variables to store credentials securely:

STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_xxx

Then access in code:

const secretKey = process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY;

React Server Components and Modern Data Fetching

React Server Components optimize rendering. Features:

Server-side data fetching
Automatic streaming
Concurrent rendering

Sample usage:

export default async function Page() {

  const data = await fetchData();
  
  return (
    <Page data={data} />
  );
}

Also utilize getStaticProps and getServerSideProps for pre-rendering and speed.

Contentlayer and MDX for Enhanced Content Management

For managing content at scale, incorporate:

Contentlayer - Headless CMS
MDX - Markdown for React

This enables editors to create content with intuitive formatting tools.

Example architecture:

├── contentlayer
│   └── blog
│       ├── post-1.mdx
│       └── post-2.mdx
└── pages
    └── blog
        └── [slug].jsx

The [slug].jsx page renders the MDX content dynamically based on route parameters.

These strategies will future-proof your NextJS starter with enterprise-grade architecture. Focus on flexibility, performance, and scalability.

Conclusion: Embracing NextJS Starter Customization

Customizing NextJS starters is critical for meeting unique project requirements and leveraging the full potential of NextJS. As we've seen, starters can be tailored to include preferred frameworks, integrations, optimizations and more.

The Impact of Tailored NextJS Starters on Project Success

Using a customized NextJS starter that aligns with your tech stack and project needs significantly accelerates development. You avoid reinventing the wheel and can build on existing code optimized for your use case. This leads to higher quality output in less time.

For example, adding TypeScript, Sass and Tailwind CSS support from the start means immediately writing durable, scalable code. Integrating CMSs or ecommerce platforms prevents needing to bolt on functionality later. Optimizing for SEO and performance upfront improves long-term traction.

From MVP to Full-Scale Deployment: The Evolution of Customized Starters

The right NextJS starter customizations allow seamlessly evolving a minimum viable product (MVP) into a complex, full-scale application.

Start with a simple starter meeting core requirements. As the project matures, incrementally introduce advanced features like server-side rendering and dynamic routes powered by getStaticProps and getStaticPaths. Effortlessly scale by integrating serverless functions, caching, CDNs and containerization.

This incremental growth prevents a complex initial setup. But the starter's flexibility supports adapting to future needs, taking an MVP to enterprise-grade deployment.

Final Thoughts on NextJS Starter Customization

In closing, customizing NextJS starters accelerates development and enhances output quality. Tailoring a starter to your tech stack, optimizations and integrations streamlines building the exact application you envision. And a starter's flexibility allows seamlessly meeting future requirements. Embrace customization to maximize productivity and realize your project's full potential.