In the rapidly evolving landscape of web development, the role of the backend has been a critical component for many years. However, with the advent of...

Denis Bolkovskis

Mental Health

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The role of the backend in web development has been a critical component for many years. However, with the advent of frameworks like Next.js 14, the question arises whether a backend is still needed. The author presents their opinion that for many applications, a separate backend is not necessary. They discuss the use of third-party APIs, the challenges of syncing data with databases and external APIs, and the scalability issues of deploying a frontend-focused platform. They also highlight the benefits of building applications with a custom backend, such as full control and flexibility. The author recommends their blog for more information on backend technologies.

Do we really need a backend now? Can we build applications without backend with Next.js 14?

How do you really build an application without a backend with Next.js 14?

How do you build an application with a backend?

As great as the idea is, executing all the complicated logic of your application on a singular end sounds dangerous, even more so when its still as experimental and new as Next JS compared to some of the more established backend technologies.

That’s so misleading
Next provides a backend for frontend, end of story.
It empowers frontend dev to do fullstack tasks like calling stripe to process payments, handle auth, aggregate data from APIs and data sources.
It never claimed to replace all backends, you still need internal APIs for businnes logic
This is especially true with route handlers that are voluntarily simplistic.

Yes because there are complicated apps