Server Side Rendering with Next.js: Update a News Website from Coursera

Do you know that according to surveys, Next.Js is among the top five most popular web development platforms for companies of all sizes?

In this 1.5 hour project-based course, you will learn how to implement dynamic content generation and server side rendering with Next.js. We will do this by updating a news website. We will first build the functionalities to generate content automatically with static site generation and then implement server side rendering to completely automate the process of publishing new content.

Built on React and Node.js, Next.js offers improved loading performance, built-in development server, and support for React components, allowing projects of all sizes to be developed and deployed quickly.

This course is aimed at learners who already have the following skills: HTML, JavaScript: async functions, arrays, import, JavaScript expressions, React/Next.js: components, embedding JavaScript expressions.

What's inside

Syllabus

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Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Uses Next.js, a React framework, to build server-side rendering capabilities, which is essential for modern web application development and improving website performance

Requires prior knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, and React/Next.js, suggesting it is designed for developers with some experience in web development

Focuses on updating a news website, which provides a practical, project-based approach to learning server-side rendering with Next.js

Reviews summary

Hands-on next.js ssr/ssg project

According to learners, this project-based course offers a clear and effective way to learn Server Side Rendering (SSR) and Static Site Generation (SSG) with Next.js by updating a real news website. Students appreciate the hands-on approach and feel the course packs a lot in despite its short duration, making it perfect for a quick project. Some reviewers note that parts can feel fast-paced and that it assumes prior strong React knowledge, suggesting learners may need to supplement with external resources for deeper understanding of underlying concepts or related topics like error handling. Overall, it's seen as a solid introduction for applying these Next.js features.

Requires existing strong React skills.

"Requires some prior React knowledge, as stated."

"Assumes you know quite a bit about React already."

"Good introduction... especially if you're not super strong with React hooks."

Hands-on project is very effective for learning.

"This course is excellent for learning Next.js SSR and SSG. The project-based approach is very effective..."

"Really enjoyed building the news website. The steps for implementing SSG and SSR were well laid out."

"Useful project demonstrating SSR/SSG. The code provided worked well."

"Exactly what I needed to understand how SSR works in Next.js by applying it to a real-world example like a news site."

Can be fast-paced; could go deeper.

"Needed to look up some concepts outside the course."

"I found some parts a bit fast-paced, especially if you're not super strong with React hooks."

"The project was okay, but I felt it could have gone deeper into the 'why' behind some of the Next.js features."

"Wish there was a bit more explanation on error handling or deployment..."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Server Side Rendering with Next.js: Update a News Website with these activities:

Review React Components

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Reinforce your understanding of React components, as this course builds upon that knowledge.

Browse courses on React Components

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Review the official React documentation on components.
Practice building simple components with different properties.
Experiment with component composition and data flow.

Brush up on JavaScript Async Functions

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Strengthen your understanding of JavaScript async functions, a prerequisite for this course.

Browse courses on Async Functions

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Review the concept of asynchronous programming in JavaScript.
Practice using async/await syntax with promises.
Understand error handling in asynchronous functions.

Read 'Next.js Quick Start Guide'

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Supplement your learning with a book dedicated to Next.js.

View Putting Knowledge to Work on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of the 'Next.js Quick Start Guide'.
Read the chapters relevant to server-side rendering and dynamic content.
Experiment with the code examples provided in the book.

Four other activities

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Follow Next.js Documentation Tutorials

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Deepen your understanding of Next.js by working through official documentation tutorials.

Browse courses on Next.js

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Visit the official Next.js documentation website.
Select tutorials related to server-side rendering and data fetching.
Follow the instructions and build the example projects.

Extend the News Website with New Features

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Solidify your knowledge by adding new features to the news website project.

Browse courses on Next.js

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Identify new features to add, such as user comments or related articles.
Implement the new features using Next.js server-side rendering.
Test the new features thoroughly.

Write a Blog Post on Server-Side Rendering

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Reinforce your understanding by explaining server-side rendering in a blog post.

Browse courses on Server-Side Rendering

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Research and gather information on server-side rendering with Next.js.
Write a clear and concise blog post explaining the concepts.
Publish the blog post on a personal website or platform like Medium.

Contribute to a Next.js Open Source Project

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Deepen your expertise by contributing to an open-source Next.js project.

Browse courses on Next.js

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Find a Next.js open-source project on GitHub.
Identify an issue or feature to work on.
Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete Server Side Rendering with Next.js: Update a News Website will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Full-Stack Developer

A full stack developer works on both the frontend and backend of web applications. This course helps a full stack developer because it teaches server side rendering with Next.js. Next.js, built on React and Node.js, is a valuable tool for full stack developers. It is particularly relevant since this course uses the example of a news website to demonstrate building functionalities that automatically generate content through both static and server side rendering. A full stack developer will also benefit from the practice of embedding JavaScript expressions and async functions. These skills can lead a developer to successful work on both the client-side and the server-side.

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Web Developer

A web developer builds and maintains websites, often working on both the front-end and back-end. This course is beneficial for a web developer because it provides hands-on experience with Next.js, a popular framework for building web applications. It specifically covers server-side rendering, which is crucial for improving website performance and SEO. The course also uses a real-world example, a news website, making it very relevant for a web developer to gain immediately applicable skills in dynamic content generation. Furthermore, working with React and Node.js is essential to a developer's work; this course provides an opportunity to enhance expertise with these tools.

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Frontend Engineer

A frontend engineer focuses on the user-facing aspects of a website, ensuring a smooth and engaging experience. This course directly helps a frontend engineer as it provides the opportunity to learn Next.js, a framework built on React, which is a cornerstone in frontend development. Specifically, the course delves into server side rendering, an important technique for optimizing loading times and Search Engine Optimization. Through a project focused on a news website, a frontend engineer will gain practical experience in managing dynamic content. This makes the course ideal to build on existing knowledge in HTML, JavaScript, React and Next.js.

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Web Application Developer

A web application developer specializes in creating interactive, web-based applications. This course is highly relevant to a web application developer because it teaches server-side rendering with Next.js, which is crucial for high-performing web apps. The project based approach, focused on updating a news website, provides a practical example of how to implement dynamic content generation. For a web application developer, the course provides the ability to learn about publishing new content with static site generation first, and then implementing server-side rendering to fully automate the process. This course helps a developer handle deployment effectively.

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Webmaster

A webmaster manages a website, handling both technical and content-related aspects. This course directly fits the work of a webmaster, teaching valuable skills in server-side rendering with Next.js, an increasingly used tool. The project, which updates a news website, is a concrete demonstration of how a webmaster might automate content publishing. A webmaster will also appreciate the focus on improving loading performance. Therefore, this course serves to help a webmaster maintain websites more efficiently and effectively.

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Application Developer

An application developer designs and builds software applications for various platforms. This course is fitting for an application developer who focuses on web applications since it provides the knowledge to use Next.js to implement dynamic content generation and server-side rendering. Through the project of updating a news website, an application developer can understand how to automate the process of publishing content. This hands on practice with React, Node.js, and JavaScript in the course will enable an application developer to develop efficient and optimized web applications. The course's project based approach has application to application development in the real world.

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Software Engineer

A software engineer designs and develops software applications. This course can be a useful addition to a software engineer's knowledge because it introduces server-side rendering with Next.js. Since Next.js uses React and Node.js, the course helps engineers with these technologies, particularly in the context of building web applications. Through the project with a news website, a software engineer can practice implementing dynamic content generation and automation of content publishing, valuable skills for software engineers. This is especially helpful to engineers who focus on web-based applications.

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Solutions Architect

A solutions architect designs and oversees the implementation of technology solutions. This course may help a solutions architect by providing an example of server side rendering with Next.js, a highly regarded framework in web development. Since the course focuses on dynamic content generation, a solutions architect might want to leverage that knowledge to make recommendations about the architecture of web applications. Since the course uses a news website as its case study, there are opportunities to understand the particular challenges of content management from the perspective of an architecture. This is especially useful for architects recommending web solutions with content management involved.

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Software Architect

A software architect designs a system's high-level structure, making critical decisions about technology choices. This course may be useful for a software architect because it directly addresses server side rendering, and the technology used is Next.js, a popular framework built on React and Node.js which is often included in decisions about architecting a system. The project of this course, which uses a news website, provides one practical example of how these technologies can be implemented. These lessons may inform a software architect's decisions about web application scaling and optimization. Specifically, the course's use of static site generation and server side rendering can help inform decisions about application design.

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Technical Consultant

A technical consultant advises clients on technology solutions, often involving web development. This course may aid a technical consultant by providing practical knowledge of Next.js and server side rendering. Understanding how to implement dynamic content generation and automate content publishing, as taught through the project in the course, can be useful for consultants advising clients on web development strategies. This course provides a concrete example using a news website, which is a common use case in the industry, and may be helpful to provide recommendations on project management and workflow.

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Content Manager

A content manager oversees the creation, organization, and publication of content on websites. While this course is more focused on the technical side of web development, a content manager may be able to improve their workflows by understanding how automation of content publication happens using server side rendering, and how dynamic content is generated. This course, by showcasing these elements of web technology, can improve collaboration between the technical team and a content manager. Since the project involves working on a news website, a content manager may find that it provides a useful case study.

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Technical Writer

A technical writer creates documentation and guides related to technology. This course may be useful to a technical writer who has to document web technologies. Learning more about Next.js, a popular web development framework, helps a technical writer to create better documentation on web applications. Since the course uses a practical example of a news website, a technical writer may use that context to write better documentation. Being familiar with the concepts in the course, including static site generation and server side rendering, can also improve the quality of documentation.

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UX Designer

A user experience designer focuses on enhancing the usability and accessibility of a product or service. This course may be helpful for a UX designer because it introduces technical web development considerations. The project, which updates a news website, provides an example of how dynamic content is published, and how server-side rendering is used to automate content publishing. This exposure to web development with Next.js, can help a UX designer improve their understanding of the technical limits and possibilities of web applications. This understanding, in turn, can improve the design process.

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Digital Marketing Specialist

A digital marketing specialist focuses on promoting a product or service through online channels. While this course is more technically oriented, a digital marketing specialist may benefit from a basic understanding of the technical elements of web publishing, particularly how server-side rendering impacts website performance. A basic understanding of how dynamic content is published with static site generation, and more automated content publishing happens through server-side rendering can inform the work of a digital marketing specialist, and help them make recommendations that would support the work of web developers. The news website project, a relevant example, may be directly useful.

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Database Administrator

A database administrator manages and maintains databases for an organization. This course may be helpful for a database administrator because it introduces web development concepts, and specifically server side rendering which has application to server systems. Although this course does not have direct application to database management, it does provide a view to how databases might be accessed for web applications. The use of a news website as an example may help a database administrator learn more about the kinds of systems with which the database might interact. This may help improve collaborative workflows.

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Server Side Rendering with Next.js

Update a News Website

What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Hands-on next.js ssr/ssg project

Activities

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