Getting Started with Next.js for Static Sites

Next.js has become one of the most popular frameworks for building modern web applications. With its built-in support for static site generation (SSG), it's an excellent choice for building fast, SEO-friendly websites.

Why Next.js?

Next.js offers several advantages for static site generation:

• Performance: Pre-rendered pages load instantly
• SEO-friendly: Content is available immediately for search engines
• Developer Experience: Hot reloading, TypeScript support, and excellent tooling
• Flexible: Easy to add dynamic features when needed

Setting Up a Static Site

To create a static Next.js site, you need to configure the output mode in next.config.js:

const nextConfig = {
  output: 'export',
  images: {
    unoptimized: true,
  },
};

export default nextConfig;

This configuration tells Next.js to generate static HTML files that can be deployed to any static hosting service.

Key Features

Static Generation

Pages are generated at build time, resulting in fast load times and excellent performance.

Incremental Static Regeneration

For dynamic content that changes occasionally, ISR allows you to update static pages without rebuilding the entire site.

API Routes

While primarily focused on static generation, Next.js also supports API routes for dynamic functionality when needed.

Deployment

Static Next.js sites can be deployed to:

• Vercel (recommended)
• Netlify
• GitHub Pages
• Any static hosting service

The deployment process is straightforward with most platforms offering automatic builds from your Git repository.

Conclusion

Next.js provides an excellent foundation for building static websites with modern tooling and great performance. Its flexibility allows you to start simple and add complexity as your needs grow.