Next.js Data Fetching Skill

Next.js Data Fetching

Overview

Provides patterns for data fetching in Next.js App Router: server-side fetching, SWR/React Query integration, ISR, revalidation, error boundaries, and loading states.

When to Use

Implementing data fetching in Next.js App Router
Choosing between Server Components and Client Components
Setting up SWR or React Query for client-side caching
Configuring ISR, time-based, or on-demand revalidation
Handling loading and error states
Building forms with Server Actions

Instructions

Server Component Fetching

Fetch directly in async Server Components:

async function getPosts() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/posts');
  if (!res.ok) throw new Error('Failed to fetch posts');
  return res.json();
}

export default async function PostsPage() {
  const posts = await getPosts();
  return (
    <ul>
      {posts.map((post) => (
        <li key={post.id}>{post.title}</li>
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
}

Parallel Data Fetching

Use Promise.all() for independent requests:

async function getDashboardData() {
  const [user, posts, analytics] = await Promise.all([
    fetch('/api/user').then(r => r.json()),
    fetch('/api/posts').then(r => r.json()),
    fetch('/api/analytics').then(r => r.json()),
  ]);
  return { user, posts, analytics };
}

export default async function DashboardPage() {
  const { user, posts, analytics } = await getDashboardData();
  // Render dashboard
}

Sequential Data Fetching (When Dependencies Exist)

async function getUserPosts(userId: string) {
  const user = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`).then(r => r.json());
  const posts = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}/posts`).then(r => r.json());
  return { user, posts };
}

Time-based Revalidation (ISR)

async function getPosts() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/posts', {
    next: { revalidate: 60 } // Revalidate every 60 seconds
  });
  return res.json();
}

On-Demand Revalidation

// app/api/revalidate/route.ts
import { revalidateTag } from 'next/cache';
import { NextRequest } from 'next/server';

export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
  const tag = request.nextUrl.searchParams.get('tag');
  if (tag) {
    revalidateTag(tag);
    return Response.json({ revalidated: true });
  }
  return Response.json({ revalidated: false }, { status: 400 });
}

Tag data for selective revalidation:

async function getPosts() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/posts', {
    next: { tags: ['posts'], revalidate: 3600 }
  });
  return res.json();
}

Opt-out of Caching

async function getRealTimeData() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data', {
    cache: 'no-store'
  });
  return res.json();
}

// Or:
export const dynamic = 'force-dynamic';

Client-Side Data Fetching

SWR Integration

Install: npm install swr

'use client';

import useSWR from 'swr';

const fetcher = (url: string) => fetch(url).then(r => r.json());

export function Posts() {
  const { data, error, isLoading } = useSWR('/api/posts', fetcher, {
    refreshInterval: 5000,
    revalidateOnFocus: true,
  });

  if (isLoading) return <div>Loading...</div>;
  if (error) return <div>Failed to load posts</div>;

  return (
    <ul>
      {data.map((post: any) => (
        <li key={post.id}>{post.title}</li>
      ))}
    </ul>
  );
}

React Query Integration

Install: npm install @tanstack/react-query

// app/providers.tsx
'use client';

import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from '@tanstack/react-query';
import { useState } from 'react';

export function Providers({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  const [queryClient] = useState(() => new QueryClient({
    defaultOptions: {
      queries: {
        staleTime: 60 * 1000,
        refetchOnWindowFocus: false,
      },
    },
  }));

  return (
    <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
      {children}
    </QueryClientProvider>
  );
}

See react-query.md for mutations, optimistic updates, infinite queries, and advanced patterns.

Error Boundaries

Wrap client-side data fetching in Error Boundaries to handle failures gracefully:

See error-boundaries.md for full ErrorBoundary implementations (basic, with reset callback) and usage examples with data fetching.

Server Actions

Use Server Actions for mutations with cache revalidation:

See server-actions.md for complete examples including form validation with useActionState, error handling, and cache invalidation.

Loading States

loading.tsx Pattern

// app/posts/loading.tsx
export default function PostsLoading() {
  return (
    <div className="space-y-4">
      {[...Array(5)].map((_, i) => (
        <div key={i} className="h-16 bg-gray-200 animate-pulse rounded" />
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}

Suspense Boundaries

// app/posts/page.tsx
import { Suspense } from 'react';
import { PostsList } from './PostsList';
import { PostsSkeleton } from './PostsSkeleton';

export default function PostsPage() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Posts</h1>
      <Suspense fallback={<PostsSkeleton />}>
        <PostsList />
      </Suspense>
    </div>
  );
}

Best Practices

Default to Server Components — Fetch in Server Components for better performance
Use parallel fetching — Promise.all() for independent requests to reduce latency
Choose appropriate caching:
- Static data: long revalidation intervals
- Dynamic data: short revalidation or cache: 'no-store'
- User-specific data: use dynamic rendering
Handle errors gracefully — Wrap client data fetching in error boundaries
Implement loading states — Use loading.tsx or Suspense boundaries
Prefer SWR/React Query for: real-time data, user interactions, background updates
Use Server Actions for: form submissions, mutations requiring cache revalidation

Constraints and Warnings

Critical Constraints

Server Components cannot use hooks (useState, useEffect) or client data fetching libraries
Client Components must include the 'use client' directive
The fetch API in Next.js extends standard Web fetch with Next.js-specific caching options
Server Actions require 'use server' and can only be called from Client Components or form actions

Common Pitfalls

Fetching in loops — Avoid sequential fetches in Server Components; use parallel fetching
Cache poisoning — Do not use force-cache for user-specific or personalized data
Memory leaks — Clean up subscriptions in Client Components when using real-time data
Hydration mismatches — Ensure server and client render the same initial state with React Query hydration

Examples

Example 1: Blog with ISR

Input: Create a blog page that fetches posts and updates every hour.

// app/blog/page.tsx
async function getPosts() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/posts', {
    next: { revalidate: 3600 }
  });
  return res.json();
}

export default async function BlogPage() {
  const posts = await getPosts();
  return (
    <main>
      <h1>Blog Posts</h1>
      {posts.map(post => (
        <article key={post.id}>
          <h2>{post.title}</h2>
          <p>{post.excerpt}</p>
        </article>
      ))}
    </main>
  );
}

Output: Page statically generated at build time, revalidated every hour.

Example 2: Dashboard with Parallel Fetching

Input: Build a dashboard showing user profile, stats, and recent activity in parallel.

// app/dashboard/page.tsx
async function getDashboardData() {
  const [user, stats, activity] = await Promise.all([
    fetch('/api/user').then(r => r.json()),
    fetch('/api/stats').then(r => r.json()),
    fetch('/api/activity').then(r => r.json()),
  ]);
  return { user, stats, activity };
}

export default async function DashboardPage() {
  const { user, stats, activity } = await getDashboardData();
  return (
    <div className="dashboard">
      <UserProfile user={user} />
      <StatsCards stats={stats} />
      <ActivityFeed activity={activity} />
    </div>
  );
}

Output: All three requests execute concurrently, minimizing total load time.

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