Next.js Documentation (Canary)
Next.js is a React framework for building full-stack web applications. It provides Server Components, automatic code splitting, file-based routing, and built-in optimizations for production.
Navigation Guide
App Router (Recommended): references/01-app/ - The newer router with React Server Components support (220 files)
01-getting-started/- Installation, project structure, core concepts02-guides/- Tutorials on authentication, caching, forms, data security03-api-reference/- Directives, components, file conventions, functions, config
Pages Router (Legacy): references/02-pages/ - The original Next.js router (148 files)
01-getting-started/- Setup and migration guides02-guides/- Pages Router-specific tutorials03-building-your-application/- Routing, rendering, data fetching04-api-reference/- Pages Router API documentation
Architecture: references/03-architecture/ - How Next.js works under the hood (5 files)
Community: references/04-community/ - Contribution guidelines (2 files)
Key Entry Points
| Task | Start Here |
|------|------------|
| New to Next.js | references/01-app/01-getting-started/01-installation.mdx |
| Project structure | references/01-app/01-getting-started/02-project-structure.mdx |
| Layouts and pages | references/01-app/01-getting-started/03-layouts-and-pages.mdx |
| Server vs Client Components | references/01-app/01-getting-started/05-server-and-client-components.mdx |
| Data fetching | references/01-app/01-getting-started/07-fetching-data.mdx |
| Caching | references/01-app/02-guides/caching.mdx |
| Authentication | references/01-app/02-guides/authentication.mdx |
| Forms | references/01-app/02-guides/forms.mdx |
| API reference | references/01-app/03-api-reference/index.mdx |
| Components (Image, Link, etc.) | references/01-app/03-api-reference/02-components/ |
| Configuration | references/01-app/03-api-reference/05-config/ |
| Pages Router setup | references/02-pages/01-getting-started/ |
When to use
Use this skill when the user asks about:
- Next.js App Router or Pages Router
- Server Components and Client Components
- File-based routing, layouts, and navigation
- Data fetching and caching strategies
- Rendering (SSR, SSG, ISR, streaming)
- Middleware and API routes
- Image, Font, Link, Script optimization
- next.config.js configuration
- Deployment and production builds
How to find information
- First, read
references/STRUCTURE.mdto see all 377 documentation files organized by directory - Use the Navigation Guide above to identify the relevant section
- Start with the Key Entry Points for common tasks
- For App Router: explore
references/01-app/ - For Pages Router: explore
references/02-pages/ - For API details: check
03-api-reference/within each router section
STRUCTURE.md contains a complete file listing - always check it first when searching for specific topics.