Building a Full-Stack App with Next.js and Cloud Firestore
Getting Started with Cloud Firestore
Setting up databases has never been easier. With Firebase’s newest NoSQL database, Cloud Firestore, developers can have a database up and running in a matter of minutes. Like Firestore’s Realtime Database, Cloud Firestore is free and allows developers to store, edit, and sync data at a global scale for mobile and web applications. Combined with a web or mobile client, developers can create complete web solutions quickly and easily.
Choosing Between Firebase’s Realtime DB and Cloud Firestore
Firebase now offers two database solutions: Cloud Firestore and Realtime Database. While they seem similar, there are key differences. Choosing one over the other depends on your needs. If you need a lightweight database with simple querying and know that your data will be accessed often, then go with Realtime Database. If you need more advanced querying functionality along with more structure for your data, then Cloud Firestore is likely a better option.
Setting Up Cloud Firestore
To set up Cloud Firestore, start by creating a Firebase project. Then, click on Firestore Database and select Create database. Choose the production mode option and select the location closest to you to reduce data latency. Next, create credentials by generating a private key, which will be used to initialize and access the database in your Next.js app.
Setting Up the Next.js App
Create a Next.js app and configure the database connections. Install the necessary dependencies, including firebase-admin, axios, and dashify. Create a utility function to communicate with the database and copy the JSON file containing secret keys into the utils/db folder.
Creating Endpoints
Create API endpoints using Next.js’s API routes solution. Create endpoints for POST, GET, PUT, and DELETE methods. Use the db object to establish communication with the database and create collections and documents. For example, use the POST method to add a new entry to the entries collection.
Implementing Pages
Create pages for the /admin and /posts routes. Use dynamic routes to list all entries and navigate to specific entries. Implement the onSubmit and onDelete methods to send requests to the API endpoints. Use server-side rendering for public pages to improve performance and SEO results.
Incremental Static Regeneration
Use Next.js’s Incremental Static Regeneration to regenerate pages when new data is added. This ensures that the page is updated without requiring a full rebuild. Set the revalidate key with a timeout value to trigger regeneration at regular intervals.
Conclusion
In this article, we demonstrated how to build a full-stack app with Next.js and Cloud Firestore. We covered setting up Cloud Firestore, creating API endpoints, and implementing pages using dynamic routing and server-side rendering. With these tools, you can create fast, scalable, and maintainable web applications.