I've just one question, can I make separate server app (backend) with GraphQL API for my Next.JS app (frontend)? I clearly understand technical part of such implementation, but what about supporting Next.JS advantages (for example ability of deploying on Vercel)?
In my opinion, this approach will support all things which available for normal Next.JS app with API Routes (api/graphql), I just make my own API (like very very small GraphCMS), but may be I missed something.
Thanks in advance for all your opinions!
I want to create web app in Nextjs and in the future mobile app in React Native. But I am confused what api to use. Do you think that the Nextjs api can handle both web and mobile apps? Is this possible and is it good idea at all? Should I use PHP backend for that? Thank you very much.
With the assumption that you are talking about API Routes :
I would ask you that you think through the scale of your web and app. If this is a simple web/app that you do not expect to grow much - The NextJS API which is similar to standing up an nodejs express server is not a bad option.
Remember a few considerations when designing this API
You may have to distinguish the request origin (web/app)
CORS may have to be customized - Next exposes this
You could set an app specific route to ensure isolation or use headers to distinguish behavior if your application bifurcates in the future.
These concerns are shared even if you made a PHP, ExpresJS or any other API middleware.
Once you are past all this, i would ask you to consider
Using a GraphQL server like Apollo that works nicely with Next and is custom built for this purpose..
Evaluating API Gateways for security and scale.
You don't use any external tools at all.
Next JS has serverless model. So, you don't need to mess with BE.
You can create a number of API routes you want. in /pages/api folder. You can even split like /pages/api/desktop and
/pages/api/mobile folders.
You connect your database (MongDB, sql etc) via /middleware/your_file.js. Here is example for MongoDB
If you like, you can even add some security (ex: Auth0, next-auth
etc) to secure your API routes created in /pages/api folder. Example for Auth0
After, you can access you data througth API calls. Very good!
I know Next.js is front-end but when i used API of next.js it can response and can manage route or anything about back-end can do.
Then i want to know "Next.js api is back-end ?"
Yes. Next.js is a pre-rendered React app in the client-side that users can view and interact with and can be considered as front-end. At the same time, it also does server-side rendering and API routes which can perform server-side code and access data in the database and can be considered as back-end.
Next.js > v13 uses two folders app or api for Dynamic Routing. Store React components in app for client-side or server rendered components. The backend functions or server-side of Next.js is with the api folder. The api JavaScript code is not executed in the browser but with Node.js so this is not safe for static page generation. When Next.js is hosted in the cloud with Vercel then your server-side or serverless JS will render, but on Netlify or other static hosts the api folder will be ignored or throw errors. It's like running Express.js code in the browser the JIT rendered will fail
Next.js v13 transitioned React folders from pages to app and currently supports both folders. Before v13 the React client code was stored in pages only.
Next.js api provides REST API. We are sending requests internally to our next.api routes. With this you can add business logic in your next.js project without writing any additional custom server code and without configuring any api routes. In node.js app, we need to separete api code into controllers and routes, then register each route in express app, then you need to make sure that you registered the routes in correct order.
The only drawback as of now, vercel does not support websocket connections. So you cannot have realtime services. But you can kinda make it almost realtime with SWR. More on SWR Basically, with swr, you tell next.js to fetch data periodically, keep the response in cache and serve it.
With this feature, Next.js provides everything to build a full-stack application. So next.js also simplifies the backend for us.
Yes. Next js is framework of React js. you can use it both like- frontend and backend. Thanks.
I come from the asp.net world and am slowly, enjoying, learning javascript development. It does clash with me though when people describe something like Next.js, which I'm enjoying learning, as a backend.
To me it is more conceptually like an asp.net server-side frontend (Webforms, MVC, Razor Pages) etc. It seems its main concern is producing reactive frontend UI. Just because some of the frontend functionality runs/processed on server does NOT make it a backend AT ALL.
What about the fact it has api endpoints?
Well to me, a web api is only a means of enabling a frontend to talk to a backend across a network, the internet in this case. For me an api handles only very limited concerns; provides the endpoints, handles de/serialisation, talks http to the caller and that's kind of it, thin and dumb.
The backend doesn't really start till you get to your App layer and then the architectural fun can start, Application orchestration, Domain logic, dependency inverted data access layer etc. etc. all the things that talk to the complexity of designing robust software.
So much talk seems to be focused on where bits sit, is it on the client, is it on the server and less about the concern of what goes where.
I thing Next.js is an excellent server-side, frontend framework but whatever your onward stack into the backend, it's not a backend!
Your Question: "Then i want to know "Next.js api is back-end ?""
Simple Answer: It depends
For any technology to be a backend it must fulfill its minimum criteria to identify itself as a backend.
If you don't use NextJS features and use it as a frontend, it behaves as a frontend.
But you can use it as a backend if you want to use that way.
I'm architecting a public web API for my service. It will be equally consumed by web pages and native mobile apps (iOS, Android and Windows 8).
Should I use cookie-based authentication? I mean, is this the best practice for this scenario?
Futher Info:
After a little research in the authentication/authorization/openId-connect field i realized that most of everything is handled by the browser, by that i mean, the redirects, coockie insertion and related "boiler-plate" stuff... when i think about all that boiler-plate that i will have to duplicate in my natives apps, i wonder if that model is the best for mobile apps. i mean, maybe theres another more mobile-native-friendly way...
Ps: i know that this is a little generic still, it's just that i'm a begginer in the field of security and i dont know how to properly express my doubts/concerns/"laziness" still...
The API itself should really be stateless, and not manage any sessions. Each request to an API should be made with the authentication details (e.g. OAuth token).
If the Web pages and mobile applications need to maintain some kind of session, then it should be up to them as clients of the service to maintain that state. For instance, a Web page might set a session cookie for the user, but a native mobile app might want a completely different approach.
See also: If REST applications are supposed to be stateless, how do you manage sessions?
Guys,
I am opening up a bunch of RESTful API, mostly GET at the moment, not modifying anything in the database.
I am planning to use this in our own mobile app, also to one of two trusted developers in the android applications they make.
I would like to know what's the possible & easiest way to secure the API to only the applications I authorize.
What's the best way to do that? I am using Rails 3.2