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How to Set Base Url Based on Environment Variable In Next.js?

5 minutes read

In Next.js, you can set the base URL based on an environment variable by creating a custom server.js file. In this file, you can access the environment variables using process.env and dynamically set the base URL for your application. By setting the base URL based on an environment variable, you can easily switch between different environments such as development, staging, and production without changing your code. This allows for more flexibility and simplifies the deployment process of your Next.js application.


How to create environment variables in Next.js?

To create environment variables in Next.js, you can follow these steps:

  1. Create a .env.local file in the root of your Next.js project.
  2. Add your environment variables in the .env.local file in the format of KEY=VALUE. For example: API_URL=http://localhost:3000/api
  3. Next.js automatically makes these environment variables available in your code through process.env. For example, you can access the API_URL variable like this: const apiUrl = process.env.API_URL;
  4. Remember to restart your Next.js development server after adding or changing environment variables in order for the changes to take effect.


It's important to note that Next.js has special support for environment variables starting with NEXT_PUBLIC_, which can be used to expose environment variables to the client-side code. Be sure to properly manage sensitive information in your environment variables to prevent exposing sensitive data in your client-side code.


What is the default base URL in Next.js?

In Next.js, the default base URL is "/" (or the root URL), which represents the homepage of the website.


What is the difference between static and dynamic base URL in Next.js?

In Next.js, the base URL is the root path of a website that is defined in the configuration. The base URL is used as a prefix for all the URLs in the website.


Static base URL:

  • A static base URL is defined in the next.config.js file using the basePath property.
  • It is set at build time, and all the URLs in the website will be prefixed with this base URL.
  • This base URL cannot be changed dynamically at runtime.


Dynamic base URL:

  • A dynamic base URL can be defined using client-side routing in Next.js.
  • It allows you to change the base URL dynamically based on conditions or user interactions.
  • This can be useful for creating multi-lingual websites or when serving content from different servers.


Overall, the main difference between static and dynamic base URL in Next.js is that static base URL is set at build time and cannot be changed, while dynamic base URL can be changed dynamically at runtime.


How to customize base URL for different endpoints in Next.js?

In Next.js, you can customize the base URL for different endpoints by using a custom server. Here's how you can do it:

  1. Create a custom server file in the root of your Next.js project. You can name this file server.js or any other name you prefer.
  2. In the custom server file, import the Next and express modules. 
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const { createServer } = require('http')
const express = require('express')
const next = require('next')


  1. Create an instance of the Next.js application by calling the next function and passing in the dev option. This will create a Next.js server instance.
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const app = next({ dev: process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production' })
const handle = app.getRequestHandler()


  1. Create an instance of the Express application by calling the express function.
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const expressApp = express()


  1. Define a custom route in Express that handles requests for a specific endpoint.
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expressApp.get('/custom-endpoint', (req, res) => {
  res.send('This is a custom endpoint!')
})


  1. Define a fallback route in Express that handles all other requests.
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expressApp.get('*', (req, res) => {
  return handle(req, res)
})


  1. Start the server by calling the createServer function and passing in the Express application instance.
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app.prepare().then(() => {
  createServer(expressApp).listen(3000, (err) => {
    if (err) throw err
    console.log('> Ready on http://localhost:3000')
  })
})


  1. You can now run the custom server by using the command node server.js. This will start the server and allow you to access your custom endpoint at http://localhost:3000/custom-endpoint.


By using a custom server in Next.js, you can customize the base URL for different endpoints and define custom routes as needed for your application.


What is the role of process.env variables in setting base URL in Next.js?

Process.env variables are used in Next.js to set and access environment variables during development and production. By using process.env variables, you can set base URL for your Next.js application in a secure and flexible way.


For example, you can define a process.env variable called NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL in a .env file at the root of your project:

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NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000


Then, you can access this variable in your Next.js application by using process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL:

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const baseURL = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL;

fetch(`${baseURL}/api/data`)
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));


This allows you to easily change the base URL without having to hardcode it in your application code, making it more maintainable and secure.


What is the benefit of using environment variables in Next.js?

Using environment variables in Next.js provides several benefits, including:

  1. Security: Environment variables allow you to store sensitive information, such as API keys and database credentials, outside of your codebase, reducing the risk of exposing these secrets to potential attackers.
  2. Flexibility: By using environment variables, you can easily switch between different environments (such as development, testing, and production) without having to modify your code.
  3. Clean code: Separating configuration values into environment variables can make your codebase cleaner and easier to maintain, as settings are centralized and can be easily updated.
  4. Collaboration: Environment variables allow different team members to easily work on the same project without having to worry about sharing sensitive information or conflicting configurations.


Overall, using environment variables in Next.js can help improve the security, flexibility, maintainability, and collaboration of your project.

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