nextjs-app-router-fundamentals

Next.js App Router Fundamentals

Overview

Provide comprehensive guidance for Next.js App Router (Next.js 13+), covering migration from Pages Router, file-based routing conventions, layouts, metadata handling, and modern Next.js patterns.

TypeScript: NEVER Use any Type

CRITICAL RULE: This codebase has @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any enabled. Using any will cause build failures.

❌ WRONG:

function handleSubmit(e: any) { ... }
const data: any[] = [];

✅ CORRECT:

function handleSubmit(e: React.FormEvent<HTMLFormElement>) { ... }
const data: string[] = [];

Common Next.js Type Patterns

// Page props
function Page({ params }: { params: { slug: string } }) { ... }
function Page({ searchParams }: { searchParams: { [key: string]: string | string[] | undefined } }) { ... }

// Form events
const handleSubmit = (e: React.FormEvent<HTMLFormElement>) => { ... }
const handleChange = (e: React.ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => { ... }

// Server actions
async function myAction(formData: FormData) { ... }

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Migrating from Pages Router (pages/ directory) to App Router (app/ directory)
• Creating Next.js 13+ applications from scratch
• Working with layouts, templates, and nested routing
• Implementing metadata and SEO optimizations
• Building with App Router routing conventions
• Handling route groups, parallel routes, or intercepting routes basics

Core Concepts

App Router vs Pages Router

Pages Router (Legacy - Next.js 12 and earlier):

pages/
├── index.tsx              # Route: /
├── about.tsx              # Route: /about
├── _app.tsx               # Custom App component
├── _document.tsx          # Custom Document component
└── api/                   # API routes
    └── hello.ts           # API endpoint: /api/hello

App Router (Modern - Next.js 13+):

app/
├── layout.tsx             # Root layout (required)
├── page.tsx               # Route: /
├── about/                 # Route: /about
│   └── page.tsx
├── blog/
│   ├── layout.tsx         # Nested layout
│   └── [slug]/
│       └── page.tsx       # Dynamic route: /blog/:slug
└── api/                   # Route handlers
    └── hello/
        └── route.ts       # API endpoint: /api/hello