Scaffold Next.js App
Create a new Next.js application with App Router, TypeScript, and production-ready defaults.
When to Use
- Starting a new web application project
- Creating a React-based frontend with server-side rendering
- Building a full-stack application with API routes
- Setting up a TypeScript web project
Inputs
- Required: Application name
- Required: Package manager preference (npm, yarn, pnpm)
- Optional: Whether to include Tailwind CSS (default: yes)
- Optional: Whether to include ESLint (default: yes)
- Optional: src/ directory structure (default: yes)
Procedure
Step 1: Create Project
npx create-next-app@latest my-app \
--typescript \
--tailwind \
--eslint \
--app \
--src-dir \
--import-alias "@/*"
Answer prompts or use flags to set all options non-interactively.
Expected: Project directory created with all dependencies installed.
On failure: Check Node.js version (node --version, must be >= 18.17). Ensure npx is available. If the command hangs on prompts, add the --use-npm flag (or --use-pnpm/--use-yarn) to skip the package manager prompt.
Step 2: Verify Project Structure
my-app/
├── src/
│ ├── app/
│ │ ├── layout.tsx # Root layout
│ │ ├── page.tsx # Home page
│ │ ├── globals.css # Global styles
│ │ └── favicon.ico
│ └── lib/ # Shared utilities (create manually)
├── public/ # Static assets
├── next.config.ts # Next.js configuration
├── tailwind.config.ts # Tailwind configuration
├── tsconfig.json # TypeScript configuration
├── package.json
└── .eslintrc.json
Expected: All listed directories and files are present.
On failure: If src/ directory is missing, the --src-dir flag was not passed. Re-run create-next-app with the flag, or move files manually into src/app/.
Step 3: Configure Next.js
Edit next.config.ts for project needs:
import type { NextConfig } from "next";
const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
// Enable React strict mode
reactStrictMode: true,
// Image optimization domains
images: {
remotePatterns: [
{
protocol: "https",
hostname: "example.com",
},
],
},
};
export default nextConfig;
Expected: next.config.ts saved without TypeScript errors.
On failure: If the file uses .js extension instead of .ts, rename it. Ensure NextConfig type is imported from "next".
Step 4: Set Up Directory Conventions
Create common directories:
mkdir -p src/app/api
mkdir -p src/components
mkdir -p src/lib
mkdir -p src/types
Expected: All four directories created under src/.
On failure: If src/ does not exist, create it first or adjust paths to match the project structure (non-src layout uses app/ at the root).
Step 5: Create Base Layout
Edit src/app/layout.tsx:
import type { Metadata } from "next";
import { Inter } from "next/font/google";
import "./globals.css";
const inter = Inter({ subsets: ["latin"] });
export const metadata: Metadata = {
title: "My Application",
description: "Application description",
};
export default function RootLayout({
children,
}: {
children: React.ReactNode;
}) {
return (
<html lang="en">
<body className={inter.className}>{children}</body>
</html>
);
}
Expected: Layout renders with the Inter font and wraps all pages.
On failure: If font fails to load, check network access. Replace Inter with a system font fallback as a temporary workaround.
Step 6: Add Example API Route
Create src/app/api/health/route.ts:
import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
export async function GET() {
return NextResponse.json({ status: "ok", timestamp: new Date().toISOString() });
}
Expected: File created at src/app/api/health/route.ts.
On failure: Ensure the api/health/ directory exists. The file must export named HTTP method handlers (GET, POST, etc.), not a default export.
Step 7: Run Development Server
cd my-app
npm run dev
Expected: Application running at http://localhost:3000.
On failure: Check Node.js version (>= 18.17). Run npm install if dependencies are missing.
Validation
-
npm run devstarts without errors - Home page loads at localhost:3000
- TypeScript compilation succeeds
- Tailwind CSS classes are applied
- API route responds at /api/health
- ESLint runs without errors (
npm run lint)
Common Pitfalls
- Node.js version: Next.js requires Node.js >= 18.17. Check with
node --version. - Port conflicts: Default port 3000 may be in use. Use
npm run dev -- -p 3001. - Import alias confusion:
@/*maps tosrc/*. Don't confuse with node_modules imports. - Pages vs App Router: Ensure you're using App Router (
src/app/) not Pages Router (src/pages/).
Related Skills
setup-tailwind-typescript- detailed Tailwind and TypeScript configurationdeploy-to-vercel- deploy the scaffolded appconfigure-git-repository- version control setup