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 dev starts 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 to src/*. 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 configuration
deploy-to-vercel - deploy the scaffolded app
configure-git-repository - version control setup

scaffold-nextjs-app