Next.js 2024: Handling Global State on the Server with React and Next.js

Published: 11 June 2024

Introduction

In 2024, Next.js continues to revolutionize the way we build modern web applications with its powerful capabilities for server-side rendering (SSR), static site generation (SSG), and edge computing. However, as applications grow in complexity, managing global state efficiently becomes a critical challenge, particularly when working in a server-side context.

This post will dive deep into how to handle global state server-side in Next.js, leveraging the framework’s latest APIs and powerful server-side data-fetching strategies. We’ll explore React Context, new Next.js APIs, and how to manage server-side state to maintain performance, scalability, and a great user experience.


Why Manage Global State Server-Side?

Before diving into the tools and techniques, let’s first understand why managing global state on the server is crucial for modern web applications.

1. Performance Optimization

When handling global state client-side, the initial page load can suffer, as the state needs to be fetched and then synchronized. By managing global state server-side, you offload that responsibility to the server, ensuring faster initial renders and better performance, especially for large-scale applications.

2. Consistency Across Multiple Requests

With server-side state management, the state is persistent across multiple requests, ensuring that any data fetched from APIs or databases remains consistent. This can be especially beneficial for authentication, user preferences, or any other data that should be kept globally synchronized.

3. Better SEO with SSR

By handling state server-side, Next.js can pre-render pages that are fully populated with content. This improves SEO, as crawlers can index fully rendered pages, with no client-side JavaScript required to load the page.

4. Simplified Hydration Process

With server-side state management, the process of hydrating (or rehydrating) the state on the client becomes more predictable, as the state is already available on the initial render. This minimizes client-side processing, making it easier to maintain synchronization between the server and the client.


Strategies for Managing Global State on the Server in Next.js 2024

1. Leveraging getServerSideProps for Server-Side State Fetching

One of the simplest ways to manage global state server-side in Next.js is through getServerSideProps. This method allows you to fetch data server-side before rendering the page, enabling you to pass state directly to the page as props.

For instance, in a blog application, if you want to manage the state of posts globally across all pages:

// pages/posts.js
export async function getServerSideProps(context) {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/posts');
  const posts = await res.json();

  return {
    props: { posts },
  };
}

export default function PostsPage({ posts }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Blog Posts</h1>
      {posts.map(post => (
        <div key={post.id}>
          <h2>{post.title}</h2>
          <p>{post.content}</p>
        </div>
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}

In this example, the posts data is fetched server-side before the page is rendered, ensuring that the state is preloaded and the user gets a fully rendered page.

2. React Context with getServerSideProps for Global State

For managing global state across multiple pages, you can combine React Context with getServerSideProps. By initializing the global state server-side and passing it down via context, you ensure that the state is consistently available across different components.

Here’s a basic example of using React Context to manage global state:

// context/GlobalStateContext.js
import { createContext, useContext, useState } from 'react';

const GlobalStateContext = createContext();

export function GlobalStateProvider({ children, initialState }) {
  const [globalState, setGlobalState] = useState(initialState);

  return (
    <GlobalStateContext.Provider value={{ globalState, setGlobalState }}>
      {children}
    </GlobalStateContext.Provider>
  );
}

export function useGlobalState() {
  return useContext(GlobalStateContext);
}

Then, in your page or layout component, you can use the GlobalStateProvider and pass in the state fetched from getServerSideProps:

// pages/_app.js
import { GlobalStateProvider } from '../context/GlobalStateContext';

function MyApp({ Component, pageProps }) {
  return (
    <GlobalStateProvider initialState={pageProps.initialState}>
      <Component {...pageProps} />
    </GlobalStateProvider>
  );
}

export default MyApp;

In your page, you can then access the global state:

// pages/dashboard.js
import { useGlobalState } from '../context/GlobalStateContext';

export async function getServerSideProps() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/user-data');
  const data = await res.json();

  return {
    props: { initialState: data },
  };
}

export default function DashboardPage() {
  const { globalState } = useGlobalState();

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome, {globalState.user.name}</h1>
      <p>{globalState.user.email}</p>
    </div>
  );
}

This method allows you to initialize the global state with server-side data and keep the application consistent across multiple pages.

3. Managing Global State with New Next.js APIs: app Directory and Server Components

Next.js 13 and 14 introduced a new paradigm for managing global state and improving server-side rendering. The app directory and Server Components allow for more granular control of server-side logic, enabling even more complex global state management strategies.

Server Components

Server Components are an advanced feature in Next.js that allow you to run server-side logic in components without the need to hydrate them on the client. This is ideal for applications that need to maintain a consistent global state on the server.

Here’s how you can use Server Components for managing global state:

// app/layout.js (Server Component)
import { fetchUserData } from '../utils/fetchData';

export default async function Layout({ children }) {
  const userData = await fetchUserData();

  return (
    <div>
      <header>
        <h1>Welcome, {userData.name}</h1>
      </header>
      <main>{children}</main>
    </div>
  );
}

In this example, fetchUserData is a server-side function that fetches global state for the entire application, like user data, and passes it down to all child components. The global state here is handled server-side, which minimizes client-side JavaScript execution.


4. Server-Side State Caching with SWR or React Query

For applications that require frequent server-side data fetching, using tools like SWR or React Query for server-side caching can be incredibly beneficial. Both libraries offer server-side rendering (SSR) support, enabling automatic fetching and caching of data server-side.

// pages/user.js
import useSWR from 'swr';

export function getServerSideProps() {
  const { data } = useSWR('https://api.example.com/user');
  
  return {
    props: { user: data },
  };
}

export default function UserPage({ user }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>{user.name}</h1>
      <p>{user.email}</p>
    </div>
  );
}

By using these tools, you can ensure that your application’s server-side data is always up-to-date and efficiently cached, even across multiple requests.


Conclusion

In Next.js 2024, managing global state server-side is not just about optimizing performance and scaling your application—it’s also about maintaining consistency and providing a seamless user experience. With the getServerSideProps API, React Context, Server Components, and advanced data-fetching strategies like SWR or React Query, you now have powerful tools at your disposal to handle global state on the server.

By offloading more logic to the server, leveraging SSR, and taking advantage of the latest Next.js features, you can improve the initial page load performance, SEO, and overall user experience of your web applications. Whether you’re building simple pages or complex applications with dynamic data, Next.js provides the right tools to manage server-side global state effectively.

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