---

name: nextjs-best-practices description: Guidelines for building scalable, SEO-friendly applications with Next.js (App Router). license: MIT metadata: author: AI Group version: "1.0.0" category: Software_Engineering compatibility:

• system: Next.js 14+
• system: React 18+ allowed-tools:
• read_file
• replace
• write_file

---

Next.js Best Practices

This skill outlines the standards for developing modern web applications using the Next.js App Router. It covers server components, data fetching, caching strategies, and route handling.

When to Use This Skill

• Project Setup: Initializing a new Next.js project.
• Architecture Design: Deciding between Server vs. Client Components.
• Optimization: Improving Core Web Vitals, LCP, and CLS.
• SEO Strategy: Implementing Metadata API and sitemaps.

Core Capabilities

1. App Router Architecture: structuring app/, layout.tsx, page.tsx, and loading.tsx.
2. Server Actions: Handling form submissions and mutations without API routes.
3. Data Fetching: Implementing fetch with caching tags and revalidation strategies.
4. Middleware: Authentication and request processing at the edge.

Workflow

1. Determine Component Type: Default to Server Components. "Use Client" only for interactivity (hooks, event listeners).
2. Plan Data Access: Fetch data directly in Server Components where possible.
3. Implement Metadata: specific exportable metadata objects for SEO.
4. Handle Errors: Use error.tsx and global-error.tsx for graceful degradation.

Example Usage

User: "Create a blog post page that fetches data from a CMS."

Agent Action:

1. Reads references/rules.md.
2. Generates app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx as an async Server Component.
3. Uses generateStaticParams for SSG.