I'm starting a new large-scale Next.js project and I'm trying to determine the best way to structure it. The application will have multiple user roles, complex forms, and integrate with several third-party APIs.
I've seen various approaches to structuring Next.js applications, but I'm not sure which would be best for a large project. Some questions I have:
1. How should I organize my components? (Atomic design? By feature?)
2. What's the best way to handle authentication and authorization across the app?
3. How should I structure my API routes?
4. What's the best approach for state management in a large Next.js app?
5. How should I handle form validation and submission?
If anyone has experience with large Next.js applications, I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!
2 Replies
T
Tejas GK
Best Answer
April 5, 2023
I've worked on several large Next.js applications, and here's the structure that has worked well for me:
```
/app # App router (Next.js 13+)
/api # API routes
/(auth) # Auth-related routes (login, register, etc.)
/(dashboard) # Dashboard routes
/[...other routes] # Other route groups
/components
/ui # Reusable UI components (buttons, inputs, etc.)
/features # Feature-specific components
/layouts # Layout components
/hooks # Custom hooks
/lib # Utility functions, API clients, etc.
/types # TypeScript types
/styles # Global styles
/public # Static assets
```
For state management, it depends on the complexity:
- For simpler apps, React Context + SWR/React Query works well
- For more complex apps, consider Zustand or Redux Toolkit
For authentication, I recommend using NextAuth.js. It's well-maintained and handles most auth scenarios.
For forms, react-hook-form with zod for validation has been a great combination.
For API routes, I organize them by feature and use middleware for authentication and validation.
Marked as Answer
N
Neha GuptaApril 6, 2023
I'd add that for very large applications, you might want to consider a monorepo approach with tools like Turborepo or Nx. This allows you to split your application into multiple packages while maintaining a single codebase.
For example:
- Shared UI components
- Feature-specific packages
- Shared utilities and types
This approach scales well as your team and application grow.
Another consideration is testing. Set up a good testing strategy from the beginning:
- Unit tests with Jest/Vitest
- Component tests with React Testing Library
- E2E tests with Cypress or Playwright
For state management, I've found that a combination of server state (React Query/SWR) and client state (Zustand) works well for most applications.