Next.js is a powerful React-based framework that has become immensely popular among developers for building server-rendered React applications. It combines the best features of client-side React with the benefits of server-side rendering (SSR), making it a versatile choice for creating modern web applications. Over the years, Next.js has evolved with numerous features, such as static site generation (SSG), incremental static regeneration (ISR), and API routes, making it a robust framework for both developers and businesses.
The goal of this blog is to provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to create a client portal using Next.js from scratch. By the end of this post, you'll have a solid understanding of Next.js and be able to build your client portal, complete with essential features like user registration, authentication, and more.
Before we dive into building the client portal, it’s crucial to get familiar with the basics of Next.js. This section will cover the installation process, understanding the directory structure, the main components of Next.js, routing, and data fetching methods.
To start, you'll need Node.js installed on your machine. Once that’s ready, you can create a new Next.js project by running the following command:
npx create-next-app@latest my-client-portal
This command sets up a new Next.js project in a directory named my-client-portal
. Once the setup is complete, navigate to this directory:
cd my-client-portal
To start the development server, use:
npm run dev
This will launch your Next.js app on http://localhost:3000
.
Next.js projects have a unique directory structure that you’ll quickly get accustomed to. Here’s a brief overview:
pages/
: Contains the application's pages. Each file in this directory automatically becomes a route.public/
: Static files like images and fonts go here.styles/
: Contains global CSS and other styles.components/
: This is where you’ll store React components used across pages.Next.js is built on React but includes several additional features:
pages/
directory is treated as a route.pages/api
directory.getStaticProps
, getServerSideProps
, and getStaticPaths
.Next.js simplifies routing. By default, routing is based on the file system. For example, pages/about.js
becomes available at /about
. Dynamic routing is also supported using brackets, like pages/posts/[id].js
, where id
is a dynamic parameter.
getStaticProps
: Fetches data at build time.getServerSideProps
: Fetches data on every request.getStaticPaths
: Defines dynamic routes that are statically generated.These basics form the foundation you'll need to create your client portal in Next.js.
A client portal is a secure, private website that allows clients to access and interact with their data, services, or content. Typically, businesses use client portals to provide customers with personalized access to services, documents, support, and communication channels.
A robust client portal typically includes features such as:
Understanding these features will help you structure the client portal effectively.
In this section, we will plan out the features that will be implemented in the client portal. Planning is crucial to ensure that we cover all necessary aspects and build a scalable and maintainable application.
When designing the client portal, it's important to consider the scalability and security of the application. The client portal will consist of the following major components:
This planning stage ensures that we have a clear roadmap for building the client portal.
Before we start building the portal, you need to set up your development environment. This section will guide you through the process of installing necessary packages and configuring the Next.js application.
To begin, you’ll need a few essential packages:
You can install these packages using npm:
npm install next-auth axios formik yup tailwindcss
Tailwind CSS is a popular utility-first CSS framework that allows you to style your application without leaving your HTML. Here’s how to set it up in your Next.js project:
Install Tailwind CSS:
npm install tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p
Configure tailwind.config.js
:
Update the purge
array in tailwind.config.js
to include your Next.js pages and components:
module.exports = {
purge: [
"./pages/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}",
"./components/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}",
],
darkMode: false, // or 'media' or 'class'
theme: {
extend: {},
},
variants: {
extend: {},
},
plugins: [],
};
Add Tailwind to your CSS:
In your styles/globals.css
, import Tailwind CSS:
@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;
Next, we’ll configure Next-Auth for user authentication. Create a file named [...]
under pages/api/auth/[...nextauth].js
:
import NextAuth from "next-auth";
import Providers from "next-auth/providers";
export default NextAuth({
providers: [
Providers.Credentials({
name: "Credentials",
authorize: async (credentials) => {
const user = { id: 1, name: "John Doe" }; // replace with actual logic
if (user) {
return user;
} else {
return null;
}
},
}),
],
session: {
jwt: true,
},
pages: {
signIn: "/auth/signin",
},
});
This code sets up Next-Auth with a credentials provider. You’ll need to replace the dummy authorize
function with real authentication logic.
Depending on your requirements, you might choose a relational or NoSQL database. For example, if using MongoDB, you can install and configure the mongodb
package:
npm install mongodb
Then, set up a connection file:
import { MongoClient } from "mongodb";
let uri = process.env.MONGODB_URI;
let dbName = process.env.MONGODB_DB;
let cachedClient = null;
let cachedDb = null;
export async function connectToDatabase() {
if (cachedClient && cachedDb) {
return { client: cachedClient, db: cachedDb };
}
const client = await MongoClient.connect(uri, {
useNewUrlParser: true,
useUnifiedTopology: true,
});
const db = client.db(dbName);
cachedClient = client;
cachedDb = db;
return { client, db };
}
Now your environment is set up and ready to start building the client portal.
This section will walk you through the process of building each feature of the client portal step by step. We’ll start with the basics and gradually move to more complex features.
To allow users to register, create a registration form. Here’s a basic example:
import { useFormik } from "formik";
import * as Yup from "yup";
export default function Register() {
const formik = useFormik({
initialValues: {
username: "",
password: "",
},
validationSchema: Yup.object({
username: Yup.string().required("Username is required"),
password: Yup.string().required("Password is required"),
}),
onSubmit: async (values) => {
const response = await axios.post("/api/register", values);
if (response.status === 200) {
// Handle successful registration
}
},
});
return (
<form onSubmit={formik.handleSubmit}>
<div>
<label htmlFor="username">Username</label>
<input
id="username"
name="username"
type="text"
onChange={formik.handleChange}
value={formik.values.username}
/>
{formik.errors.username ? <div>{formik.errors.username}</div> : null}
</div>
<div>
<label htmlFor="password">Password</label>
<input
id="password"
name="password"
type="password"
onChange={formik.handleChange}
value={formik.values.password}
/>
{formik.errors.password ? <div>{formik.errors.password}</div> : null}
</div>
<button type="submit">Register</button>
</form>
);
}
The useFormik
hook from Formik manages form state, while Yup validates the form. The form submits data to the /api/register
endpoint, where you’ll handle the registration logic.
Next, we’ll create a login system. Here’s a basic setup:
import { signIn } from "next-auth/client";
export default function Login() {
const handleLogin = async (e) => {
e.preventDefault();
const res = await signIn("credentials", {
redirect: false,
username: e.target.username.value,
password: e.target.password.value,
});
if (!res.error) {
// Redirect or show success message
}
};
return (
<form onSubmit={handleLogin}>
<div>
<label htmlFor="username">Username</label>
<input id="username" name="username" type="text" />
</div>
<div>
<label htmlFor="password">Password</label>
<input id="password" name="password" type="password" />
</div>
<button type="submit">Login</button>
</form>
);
}
This form uses Next-Auth’s signIn
function to authenticate the user.
For profile management, create a profile page where users can update their information:
import { useSession } from "next-auth/client";
export default function Profile() {
const [session] = useSession();
if (!session) {
return <p>You must be logged in to view this page</p>;
}
return (
<div>
<h1>Profile</h1>
<p>Name: {session.user.name}</p>
<p>Email: {session.user.email}</p>
{/* Add form to update profile details */}
</div>
);
}
This example shows how to display user information using Next-Auth’s useSession
hook.
To implement messaging, you’ll need to create a database schema to store messages and an API route to handle sending and retrieving messages.
API Route:
import { connectToDatabase } from "../../utils/mongodb";
export default async function handler(req, res) {
const { db } = await connectToDatabase();
if (req.method === "POST") {
const { sender, recipient, message } = req.body;
const result = await db
.collection("messages")
.insertOne({ sender, recipient, message, createdAt: new Date() });
res.json(result);
} else if (req.method === "GET") {
const messages = await db.collection("messages").find().toArray();
res.json(messages);
}
}
Messaging UI:
export default function Messaging() {
const [messages, setMessages] = useState([]);
useEffect(() => {
async function fetchMessages() {
const res = await axios.get("/api/messages");
setMessages(res.data);
}
fetchMessages();
}, []);
const sendMessage = async (e) => {
e.preventDefault();
const message = e.target.message.value;
await axios.post("/api/messages", {
sender: "User1",
recipient: "User2",
message,
});
e.target.reset();
};
return (
<div>
<h1>Messages</h1>
<form onSubmit={sendMessage}>
<input name="message" placeholder="Type your message" />
<button type="submit">Send</button>
</form>
<ul>
{messages.map((msg, index) => (
<li key={index}>
{msg.sender}: {msg.message}
</li>
))}
</ul>
</div>
);
}
For document sharing, integrate with a service like AWS S3. Here’s a basic setup:
Install AWS SDK:
npm install aws-sdk
API Route:
import AWS from "aws-sdk";
AWS.config.update({
accessKeyId: process.env.AWS_ACCESS_KEY,
secretAccessKey: process.env.AWS_SECRET_KEY,
});
const s3 = new AWS.S3();
export default async function handler(req, res) {
if (req.method === "POST") {
const { file } = req.body;
const params = {
Bucket: process.env.S3_BUCKET_NAME,
Key: `${Date.now()}_${file.name}`,
Body: file,
ContentType: file.type,
};
s3.upload(params, (err, data) => {
if (err) {
res.status(500).json({ error: err.message });
} else {
res.status(200).json({ url: data.Location });
}
});
}
}
Document Upload Form:
export default function DocumentUpload() {
const uploadDocument = async (e) => {
e.preventDefault();
const formData = new FormData();
formData.append("file", e.target.file.files[0]);
await axios.post("/api/upload", formData);
};
return (
<form onSubmit={uploadDocument}>
<input type="file" name="file" />
<button type="submit">Upload</button>
</form>
);
}
This will allow users to upload files to AWS S3 and share them securely.
Testing is crucial to ensure that your client portal functions correctly. Here’s how to test each feature:
Use a testing framework like Jest to write unit tests for your components and API routes.
npm install jest @testing-library/react @testing-library/jest-dom
Create a test file for your component, e.g., Login.test.js
:
import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
import Login from "./Login";
test("renders login form", () => {
render(<Login />);
expect(screen.getByText(/Login/)).toBeInTheDocument();
});
Integration testing ensures that different parts of your application work together as expected. You can use a tool like Cypress:
npm install cypress
Write integration tests to simulate
user interactions across different parts of the portal.
End-to-end testing checks the entire application flow from start to finish. Cypress can also be used for this purpose. Write tests that simulate real user scenarios, such as registering, logging in, sending messages, and uploading documents.
Once the client portal is built and tested, it’s time to deploy it. Next.js offers several deployment options:
Vercel is the official platform for Next.js, providing seamless deployment:
Netlify also supports Next.js:
next build
, and deploy.You can also deploy your Next.js app on your own server. Here’s a basic setup using Node.js:
Build your application:
npm run build
Start the server:
npm start
Configure your server (e.g., Nginx) to proxy requests to the Node.js process.
Each method has its pros and cons, so choose the one that best fits your needs.
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this guide, from introducing Next.js and its basics to planning, building, testing, and deploying a client portal. By following the steps outlined in this blog, you should have a working client portal that you can customize further according to your specific needs. The key takeaway is that Next.js provides a robust foundation for building modern web applications with ease, and with a bit of planning and coding, you can create a client portal that meets the needs of your business.
To further expand your knowledge and skills, here are some additional resources:
These resources will help you deepen your understanding and take your Next.js projects to the next level.
Prateeksha Web Design Company is a leading digital solution provider specializing in website designs, development, and digital marketing. Recently, they have incorporated Next.js into their services, using it to create client portals from scratch. This service allows for improved user-interface and a highly optimized, server-rendered React application, ensuring a seamless experience for the user.
Interested in learning more? Contact us today.