Getting Started with getServerSideProps

19 January, 2023

Contributors

Shivam Katare

@shivam-katare

Are you a Next.js developer looking to take your skills to the next level? Look no further than getServerSideProps - one of the most important and powerful features in the Next.js framework. I will share everything I have learned about getServerSideProps and how it can enhance performance and user experience.

As you go deeper into the world of Next.js, you will quickly realize that getServerSideProps is a game-changer when it comes to data fetching. Unlike traditional client-side rendering, getServerSideProps allows fetching data on the server before rendering a page, resulting in faster load times and improved SEO. This feature is essential for building performant and user-friendly applications.

In short, if you want to take your Next.js skills to the next level, mastering getServerSideProps is a must. This functionality can improve our applications' performance, SEO, and user experience. So, buckle up and get ready to level up your Next.js game with getServerSideProps.

Prerequisites

Basic understanding of Next JS. (You can learn about Next JS basis here)
Familiar with React JS

Introduction

Next.js is a powerful framework for building server-rendered React applications. One of its most powerful features is getServerSideProps, which allows us to fetch data on the server before rendering a page. In this blog, I’ll explain why getServerSideProps is so important and how we can use it to optimize our Next.js application.

GetServerSideProps: The Key to Optimizing Next.js Applications

Why is getServerSideProps Important?

In client-side rendering, a page is loaded in the browser, and data is fetched using JavaScript once the page has loaded. This can lead to slow load times and poor SEO, as search engines may not be able to scan and analyze the page.

With server-side rendering, the page is pre-rendered on the server with the data already included. This means that the page can be delivered to the browser faster and with all the necessary data, leading to a better user experience.

getInitialProps vs. getServerSideProps in Next.js - LogRocket Blog

GetServerSideProps allows us to easily fetch data on the server and include it in the pre-rendered page. It ensures fast load times, improves SEO, and delivers a better user experience.

New Features in Next.js 9.4

How to Use getServerSideProps?

Use getServerSideProps in your Next application. First, create the Next JS app. The first step in using getServerSideProps is to create a new Next.js application. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal: 👇

npx create-next-app my-app

This command will create a new Next.js application in a directory called my-app Once the application is created, navigate to the directory and start the development server by running the following command:

cd my-app
npm run dev

Your app will look like this 👇

Note: If you are unfamiliar with this folder structure, please check my previous blog of Next JS.

First, we'll add a new page to our Next.js application and use getServerSideProps. In this example, we will add a new page to the pages directory called todo.js.

After creating a file, write a simple React JS Code in it. Like this.👇

Here you can see that I wrote a simple React JS code. Now go to your local host and see if it's working. In the browser, go to http://localhost:3000/todo

The output will look like this👇

Next, in the todo.js file, we need to define a getServerSideProps function. This function takes in a context object and returns an object with a props key. The props you return from getServerSideProps will be passed to your page component as props.

In this example, we are using the fetch function to retrieve data from the todos/1 endpoint of the JSONPlaceholder API. The data is returned as a JSON object and we are passing it to our page component as the "todo" prop

Finally, you can use the data in your page component by destructuring it from the props object, like this:

In this example, we are displaying the title and completing the status of the to-do item.

And that's it! You have successfully used getServerSideProps to fetch data from the JSONPlaceholder API and pass it to our page component as props. As you can see, it is a straightforward process and it only takes a few lines of code to get started with getServerSideProps.

Note: Keep in mind that the JSONPlaceholder API is a mock API and the data is not real.

The code of todo.js look like this👇

import React from 'react';

export default function Todo({ todo }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1> Todo </h1>
      <p>Title: {todo.title}</p>
      <p>Completed: {todo.completed.toString()}</p>
    </div>
  )
}

export async function getServerSideProps() {
  const res = await fetch('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1');
  const todo = await res.json();

  return {
    props: {
      todo,
    },
  }
}

And the output will look like this👇 (Make sure you are on this URL =>http://localhost:3000/todo)

Note: Here todo, title, completed are the hard coded terms and the rest two of them are our data that fetched from an API.

Benefits of Using getServerSideProps

GetServerSideProps is a powerful feature that allows us to fetch data on the server and pass it to our page component as props. It ensures fast load times, improves SEO, and delivers a better user experience.

Additionally, getServerSideProps allows us to easily add dynamic data to our pages, without using client-side JavaScript. This means it can improve our application's efficiency and user experience without adding complexity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, getServerSideProps is a powerful feature of Next.js that allows developers to fetch data on the server before rendering a page. It is an essential tool that offers several benefits, such as fast load times, improved SEO, dynamic data handling, and security. The process of using getServerSideProps is easy, making it accessible to developers of all levels.

Today, we covered most of the aspects of getServerSideProps and how it can help in building better, faster, and SEO-friendly applications. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog and found it informative. If you have any questions or feedback please feel free to reach out to me.

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Thank you 🙂

optimization

seo

nextjs

datafetching

getserversideprops