Real-World Next.js: Build scalable, high-performance, and modern web applications using Next.js, the React framework for production

It's hit-or-miss with technical books, so I was pleasantly surprised that this book backfilled the gaps in my knowledge of Next.js without going overboard and trying to cram every possible Next.js topic into one book. Probably like most developers approaching this book, I'm already seasoned with using React, most other topics related to frontend development, and am comfortable with both consuming and writing APIs. I got (more) into using Next.js in the past year, and had looked up enough info in their docs to get things done, but knowing full well that even though I was getting things to work, I probably wasn't doing it in the "best practices" way with respect to Next.js. I was basically taking my React knowledge and just creating components in a Next.js framework without really leveraging Next.js as a server-side rendering tool. So if that's you too, I'm not going to judge! The book talks about the must-knows of server-side rendering, static site rendering, folder structures, and moves into testing, hosting environments, and example sites that could be built with Next.js. Judging the book on just that content, I give it 5 stars. I know other reviewers mentioned that the API that is mentioned in the book isn't working or wasn't working. I didn't find myself needing to do anything with the book's code and/or API as I was just using the book to backfill knowledge and look at the printed code examples to reinforce a topic. My review is based on the structure and content of the book, but yeah, I can see that a book that alludes to an API, but the API isn't working, could be a deal breaker. I'm still giving the book the full 5 stars as it served my needs and I improved from having invested time and money in it.

While following along with the examples in this book it uses a self maintained example server that’s currently returning 404 not found for endpoints. Makes working through the lessons challenging and overall a bit disappointing.

The book gives a great overview essential Next.js development requirements. Big value can be found in parts two and three of the book. There you will find an array of deeper dives of in-demand development practices that are essential in today's dev environments (e.g. testing, SEO, deployment platforms, and authentication.) The examples are fun and realistic. I recommend this book to someone getting started with React development or someone wanting to have a development patterns with Next.js reference on hand.

Could be a great book, but I will not suggest buying it unless these links are fixed, as you simply would not be able to follow the guides.