Next.js interview questions asked in 2025

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Next.js interview questions and answers

Next.js interview questions asked in 2025

If you’re preparing for a frontend or full-stack role, these Next.js interview questions asked in 2025 will help you understand what top companies actually expect.

If you are preparing for a frontend, React, or full-stack developer interview, these Next.js interview questions asked in 2025 will help you confidently explain both fundamentals and advanced concepts. This guide covers beginner to advanced questions, practical examples, and real interview expectations.For official documentation and updates, you can always refer to the Next.js official documentation.

If you are preparing for frontend roles, this guide will also help you understand common React and frontend interview expectations.


Why Next.js Is So Important in 2025

Before diving into interview questions, it’s important to understand why interviewers care so much about Next.js.

In 2025, companies expect developers to build applications that are:

  • Fast and SEO-friendly
  • Scalable and production-ready
  • Optimized for both mobile and desktop
  • Capable of server-side and static rendering

Next.js solves these problems by combining React with powerful features like Server-Side Rendering (SSR), Static Site Generation (SSG), Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR), and API Routes.

As a result, Next.js interview questions are now common in:

  • Frontend developer interviews
  • Full-stack developer interviews
  • React developer roles
  • Startup and enterprise hiring

What Is Next.js?

Answer:
Next.js is an open-source React framework developed by Vercel that enables developers to build fast, scalable, and SEO-friendly web applications. It extends React by adding features such as server-side rendering, static site generation, file-based routing, API routes, and built-in performance optimizations.

Unlike traditional React applications, Next.js allows pages to be rendered on the server or at build time, improving performance and search engine visibility.


Key Features of Next.js (Interview Favorite Topic)

Interviewers often ask about features, not just definitions.

Core Next.js Features:

  • Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
  • Static Site Generation (SSG)
  • Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR)
  • File-based routing
  • API routes
  • Image optimization
  • Middleware support
  • Edge functions
  • Built-in SEO optimization

Understanding when and why to use each feature is critical for interviews.


Next.js Interview Questions: Most Asked in 2025

1. What are the main benefits of using Next.js?

Answer:
Next.js provides several benefits that make it suitable for modern web development:

  • Improved performance through SSR and SSG
  • Better SEO with server-rendered HTML
  • Faster page loads due to automatic code splitting
  • Simplified routing system
  • Built-in image and font optimization
  • Support for full-stack development via API routes

Because of these advantages, Next.js is widely used in production-grade applications.


2. How does Server-Side Rendering (SSR) work in Next.js?

Answer:
Server-Side Rendering in Next.js means that the page is rendered on the server for every request. When a user visits a page, the server generates the HTML dynamically and sends it to the browser.

SSR is implemented using the getServerSideProps function, which runs on the server for each request. This approach ensures fresh data and improves SEO, especially for dynamic content.


3. What is Static Site Generation (SSG) in Next.js?

Answer:
Static Site Generation generates HTML pages at build time instead of request time. These pages are then served as static files, resulting in extremely fast performance.

SSG is implemented using getStaticProps. It is ideal for blogs, documentation sites, landing pages, and content that does not change frequently.


4. What is Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR)?

Answer:
Incremental Static Regeneration allows you to update static pages after deployment without rebuilding the entire site. With ISR, Next.js regenerates pages in the background based on a revalidation time.

This feature combines the speed of static pages with the flexibility of dynamic updates, making it a popular interview topic in 2025.


5. What is the difference between SSR, SSG, and ISR?

Answer:

FeatureSSRSSGISR
Render timeOn every requestAt build timeAt runtime (periodic)
PerformanceMediumVery fastFast
SEOExcellentExcellentExcellent
Use caseDynamic dataStatic contentSemi-dynamic content

Interviewers often expect you to explain use cases, not just definitions.


Routing in Next.js (Very Important for Interviews)

6. How does routing work in Next.js?

Answer:
Next.js uses a file-based routing system. Each file inside the pages directory automatically becomes a route. For example:

  • pages/index.js/
  • pages/about.js/about

This approach eliminates the need for external routing libraries like React Router.


7. How do you create dynamic routes in Next.js?

Answer:
Dynamic routes are created using square brackets in file names.

Example:

pages/posts/[slug].js

The slug parameter can be accessed using useRouter or data-fetching methods like getStaticPaths.

Dynamic routing is commonly used for blogs, product pages, and user profiles.


Data Fetching in Next.js (Advanced Interview Topic)

8. What is getStaticProps?

Answer:
getStaticProps fetches data at build time and passes it as props to the page component. It is used for static site generation and improves performance.


9. What is getServerSideProps?

Answer:
getServerSideProps fetches data on every request. It is used when data must always be up-to-date, such as dashboards or authenticated pages.


10. What is getStaticPaths?

Answer:
getStaticPaths is used with dynamic routes to specify which paths should be pre-rendered at build time. It is essential when using SSG with dynamic routes.


API Routes in Next.js

11. What are API routes in Next.js?

Answer:
API routes allow you to create backend endpoints inside a Next.js application. Files inside pages/api act as serverless functions.

They are commonly used for:

  • Form handling
  • Authentication
  • Database operations
  • External API communication

This feature enables full-stack development using Next.js alone.


12. How are API routes different from a traditional backend?

Answer:
API routes are serverless and run on-demand. They do not require managing a separate server and scale automatically, making them ideal for modern cloud-based applications.


Styling in Next.js (Common Interview Question)

13. How do you handle CSS in Next.js?

Answer:
Next.js supports multiple styling options:

  • CSS Modules
  • Global CSS
  • Styled-components
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Sass/SCSS

CSS Modules are preferred because they prevent style conflicts by scoping styles locally.


Performance Optimization in Next.js

14. How do you optimize performance in Next.js?

Answer:
Performance can be improved by:

  • Using SSG and ISR
  • Lazy loading components
  • Optimizing images with next/image
  • Reducing JavaScript bundle size
  • Using dynamic imports
  • Leveraging CDN and edge functions

Performance optimization is a high-priority interview topic in 2025.


Special Files in Next.js

15. What is _app.js?

Answer:
_app.js is used to initialize pages. It allows you to:

  • Add global styles
  • Implement layout components
  • Manage global state

16. What is _document.js?

Answer:
_document.js customizes the HTML document structure. It is mainly used for server-side rendering customization and adding meta tags.


Middleware & Edge Functions (Advanced)

17. What is middleware in Next.js?

Answer:
Middleware allows you to run code before a request is completed. It is commonly used for authentication, redirects, and request validation.


18. What are Edge Functions?

Answer:
Edge functions run closer to users geographically, reducing latency. They are ideal for authentication, personalization, and A/B testing.


Security & Authentication

19. How do you handle authentication in Next.js?

Answer:
Authentication can be handled using:

  • NextAuth.js
  • JWT tokens
  • OAuth providers
  • Custom API routes

NextAuth.js is the most popular choice in 2025.


Common Next.js Interview Mistakes

  • Confusing SSR with SSG
  • Overusing SSR when SSG is sufficient
  • Not understanding ISR
  • Ignoring SEO benefits
  • Poor explanation of routing

Interviewers look for decision-making skills, not just syntax.


How to Prepare for Next.js Interviews in 2025

  • Build at least one real project
  • Practice explaining trade-offs
  • Understand rendering strategies
  • Learn deployment with Vercel
  • Revise React fundamentals

❓ 50 Advanced Next.js Interview Questions (2025)

Architecture & Rendering

  1. How does Next.js differ from traditional React SPA architecture?
  2. When should you prefer ISR over SSR?
  3. How does Next.js handle hydration internally?
  4. What happens if getStaticProps fails during build?
  5. How does Next.js optimize JavaScript bundles automatically?
  6. Explain rendering waterfalls in Next.js.
  7. How does React Server Components work in Next.js App Router?
  8. Difference between App Router and Pages Router?
  9. How does Next.js manage caching at build vs runtime?
  10. How does streaming SSR improve performance?

Data Fetching & APIs

  1. Difference between fetch() in App Router vs Pages Router?
  2. How does revalidation work in ISR?
  3. What are route handlers in Next.js?
  4. How do you secure API routes?
  5. How does Next.js handle environment variables?
  6. How do you fetch authenticated data server-side?
  7. What are edge API routes?
  8. How do you prevent API route cold starts?
  9. Can API routes replace a full backend?
  10. How does Next.js handle large API responses?

Performance & Optimization

  1. How does next/image improve LCP?
  2. What causes CLS issues in Next.js?
  3. How do you reduce TTFB in SSR?
  4. Explain dynamic imports with next/dynamic
  5. How does font optimization work in Next.js?
  6. How do you optimize Core Web Vitals?
  7. How does Next.js handle prefetching?
  8. What is tree shaking in Next.js?
  9. How does middleware affect performance?
  10. How do you debug performance issues in production?

Security & Deployment

  1. How do you protect sensitive env variables?
  2. What security risks exist in API routes?
  3. How does Next.js prevent XSS?
  4. How does Vercel deployment differ from self-hosting?
  5. How do you handle rate limiting?
  6. What is CSP and how to implement it?
  7. How do you manage secrets in CI/CD?
  8. How does Next.js handle HTTPS?
  9. What are edge security benefits?
  10. How to protect admin routes?

Testing & Advanced Topics

  1. How do you test SSR pages?
  2. Unit vs integration testing in Next.js?
  3. How do you mock API routes?
  4. How does Next.js support monorepos?
  5. How do you migrate from CRA to Next.js?
  6. What is Partial Prerendering?
  7. How does Next.js handle internationalization?
  8. How does middleware differ from API routes?
  9. What are server actions?
  10. How do you future-proof a Next.js app?

Real Coding Test Questions (Next.js Interviews)

Beginner–Intermediate

  1. Build a dynamic blog using [slug].js
  2. Fetch data using getStaticProps
  3. Create an API route to submit a contact form
  4. Implement global layout using _app.js
  5. Add SEO meta tags dynamically

Intermediate

  1. Implement protected routes using middleware
  2. Build pagination with ISR
  3. Optimize images using next/image
  4. Add authentication using NextAuth
  5. Create a reusable layout component

Advanced

  1. Build SSR dashboard with auth
  2. Implement role-based access control
  3. Create edge middleware for redirects
  4. Optimize large data fetching
  5. Convert Pages Router app to App Router
  6. Implement server actions
  7. Build real-time feature using API routes
  8. Handle error boundaries
  9. Add caching strategy
  10. Deploy with environment-based config

👉 Interviewers check architecture thinking, not just syntax.


Best Next.js Project Ideas for Interviews (2025)

Beginner Projects

  1. Blog website with SSG
  2. Portfolio site with SEO optimization
  3. Simple e-commerce product listing
  4. Static landing page with performance focus
  5. Documentation website

Intermediate Projects

  1. Job board with dynamic routing
  2. Authentication system with NextAuth
  3. Dashboard with SSR
  4. Multi-language website
  5. API-driven content platform

Advanced Projects (Highly Impressive)

  1. SaaS dashboard (SSR + API routes)
  2. Full-stack app using App Router
  3. Subscription-based platform
  4. Real-time chat app
  5. E-commerce app with payments
  6. Admin panel with RBAC
  7. Analytics dashboard
  8. CMS-like platform
  9. Performance-optimized news site
  10. Edge-powered personalization app

📌 Tip for interviews:
একটা solid Next.js project > 10 tutorials


🎯 How to Use This for Interviews

  • Pick 1 main project
  • Be ready to explain:
    • Why you chose SSR/SSG/ISR
    • How performance is optimized
    • Trade-offs you made
  • Practice explaining decisions clearly

Final Thoughts

Mastering these Next.js interview questions asked in 2025 will give you a strong advantage in frontend and full-stack interviews. Employers are not only looking for developers who can write code but also for those who understand architecture, performance, and scalability.

If you can confidently explain when to use SSR, SSG, or ISR—and back it up with real-world examples—you will stand out from other candidates.

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