Using getServerSideProps for Server-side Rendering

Introduction

In this tutorial, we'll explore one of the core features of Next.js - server-side rendering (SSR) with getServerSideProps. We'll learn how to fetch data at request time, and why it's a crucial aspect of building modern, performant, SEO-friendly web applications.

What is getServerSideProps?

In Next.js, getServerSideProps is a function that you can use inside your pages to fetch some data from the server-side at the time of the request. The fetched data can then be passed as a prop to your page's component, making it available for rendering on the server-side.

When to use getServerSideProps?

Use getServerSideProps if you need to pre-render a page whose data must be fetched at the time of the request. This is useful for pages that display frequently updated data, and for pages that include user-specific data.

Getting Started With getServerSideProps

Let's dive into the usage of getServerSideProps.

Basic Structure

The basic structure of getServerSideProps function looks like this:

export async function getServerSideProps(context) {
  // Fetch data here
  return {
    props: {}, // will be passed to the page component as props
  }
}

The getServerSideProps function should return an object with a props key, and the value should also be an object. This object will be passed to your page's component as props.

Fetching Data

Let's say we have a blog, and we want to display the latest posts on our home page. Here's how we could fetch the data from a hypothetical API:

export async function getServerSideProps() {
  const res = await fetch('https://.../posts')
  const posts = await res.json()

  return {
    props: {
      posts,
    },
  }
}

In the page component, we can then access the posts as a prop:

function HomePage({ posts }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Latest posts</h1>
      {/* Render posts here */}
    </div>
  )
}

export default HomePage

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have learned about server-side rendering in Next.js using getServerSideProps. This function allows us to fetch data at request time and pass it as props to our page's component. This feature makes it possible to build fast, SEO-friendly web applications with highly dynamic data.

Remember, getServerSideProps is great for pages that need server-side rendering and require data at the time of request. This makes it a powerful tool in your Next.js arsenal.

Keep practicing and exploring more about Next.js and happy coding!