Next.js
Next.js 13.5
Using Pages Router
Getting Started
Installation

Installation

System Requirements:

  • Node.js 16.14 ↗ or later.
  • macOS, Windows (including WSL), and Linux are supported.

Automatic Installation

We recommend starting a new Next.js app using create-next-app, which sets up everything automatically for you. To create a project, run:

Terminal

npx create-next-app@latest

On installation, you’ll see the following prompts:

Terminal

What is your project named? my-app
Would you like to use TypeScript? No / Yes
Would you like to use ESLint? No / Yes
Would you like to use Tailwind CSS? No / Yes
Would you like to use `src/` directory? No / Yes
Would you like to use App Router? (recommended) No / Yes
Would you like to customize the default import alias (@/*)? No / Yes
What import alias would you like configured? @/*

After the prompts, create-next-app will create a folder with your project name and install the required dependencies.

Good to know:

Manual Installation

To manually create a new Next.js app, install the required packages:

Terminal

npm install next@latest react@latest react-dom@latest

Open your package.json file and add the following scripts:

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "next dev",
    "build": "next build",
    "start": "next start",
    "lint": "next lint"
  }
}

These scripts refer to the different stages of developing an application:

  • dev: runs next dev to start Next.js in development mode.
  • build: runs next build to build the application for production usage.
  • start: runs next start to start a Next.js production server.
  • lint: runs next lint to set up Next.js’ built-in ESLint configuration.

Creating directories

Next.js uses file-system routing, which means the routes in your application are determined by how you structure your files.

The app directory

For new applications, we recommend using the App Router ↗. This router allows you to use React’s latest features and is an evolution of the Pages Router ↗ based on community feedback.

Create an app/ folder, then add a layout.tsx and page.tsx file. These will be rendered when the user visits the root of your application (/).

App Folder Structure App Folder Structure

Create a root layout inside app/layout.tsx with the required <html> and <body> tags:

app/layout.tsx

export default function RootLayout({
  children,
}: {
  children: React.ReactNode
}) {
  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <body>{children}</body>
    </html>
  )
}

Finally, create a home page app/page.tsx with some initial content:

app/page.tsx

export default function Page() {
  return <h1>Hello, Next.js!</h1>
}

Good to know: If you forget to create layout.tsx, Next.js will automatically create this file when running the development server with next dev.

Learn more about using the App Router.

The pages directory (optional)

If you prefer to use the Pages Router instead of the App Router, you can create a pages/ directory at the root of your project.

Then, add an index.tsx file inside your pages folder. This will be your home page (/):

pages/index.tsx

export default function Page() {
  return <h1>Hello, Next.js!</h1>
}

Next, add an _app.tsx file inside pages/ to define the global layout. Learn more about the custom App file.

pages/_app.tsx

import type { AppProps } from 'next/app'
 
export default function App({ Component, pageProps }: AppProps) {
  return <Component {...pageProps} />
}

Finally, add a _document.tsx file inside pages/ to control the initial response from the server. Learn more about the custom Document file.

pages/_document.tsx

import { Html, Head, Main, NextScript } from 'next/document'
 
export default function Document() {
  return (
    <Html>
      <Head />
      <body>
        <Main />
        <NextScript />
      </body>
    </Html>
  )
}

Learn more about using the Pages Router.

Good to know: Although you can use both routers in the same project, routes in app will be prioritized over pages. We recommend using only one router in your new project to avoid confusion.

The public folder (optional)

Create a public folder to store static assets such as images, fonts, etc. Files inside public directory can then be referenced by your code starting from the base URL (/).

Run the Development Server

  1. Run npm run dev to start the development server.
  2. Visit http://localhost:3000 to view your application.
  3. Edit app/layout.tsx (or pages/index.tsx) file and save it to see the updated result in your browser.
Last updated on
Project Structure