How I structure my next.js applications

Summary

The video script discusses the importance of code structure and architecture in software development, particularly for a Next.js starter kit. The speaker advocates for a layered architecture approach, inspired by 'Clean Architecture' by Uncle Bob, to maintain separation of concerns and enhance maintainability. They detail the use of controllers, use cases, entities, and the importance of not mixing Next.js specific code with business logic. The script also covers authorization checks, data persistence, and the benefits of this structured approach for scalability and team collaboration.

Takeaways

• 📅 The video creator emphasizes the importance of regular content updates to maintain relevance with the YouTube algorithm.
• 🏗️ The discussion centers on the architecture of the creator's Next.js starter kit, drawing inspiration from 'Clean Architecture' by Uncle Bob.
• 🔍 The video explains the concept of layered architecture, including presentation, business, persistence, and database layers, to enhance code maintainability.
• 🛠️ The creator advocates for separating business logic from Next.js specific code, suggesting that this leads to cleaner and more manageable projects.
• 📝 The script introduces the idea of controllers, use cases, entities, and their roles in structuring code to avoid dependencies that complicate maintenance.
• 🔑 The video creator discusses the use of server actions in Next.js as a form of controller and stresses keeping Next.js specific code within these boundaries.
• 🔄 The process of updating group information is used as an example to illustrate the flow from presentation layer to business logic and persistence layer.
• 🛡️ The importance of authorization checks within the business layer is highlighted to ensure that only authorized users can perform certain actions.
• 🗂️ The script touches on the use of data transfer objects (DTOs) to prevent information leakage between layers and maintain a clean architecture.
• 📁 The creator prefers a directory structure that collocates related components and logic to simplify maintenance and onboarding of new developers.
• 🔍 The video ends with a discussion on the benefits of decoupling business logic from presentation, making it easier to refactor or change the application's approach in the future.

Q & A

What is the main concern of the video's author regarding their YouTube channel?

The author is concerned about maintaining relevance on their YouTube channel by regularly publishing content, as they have not published a video for about a week.

What architectural concept does the author discuss in the video?

The author discusses 'clean architecture,' a concept from a book by Uncle Bob, which emphasizes structuring code in layers with specific rules to avoid dependencies that can make a project unmaintainable.

What are the four layers mentioned in the layered architecture approach discussed in the video?

The four layers mentioned are the presentation layer, business layer, persistence layer, and database layer.

Why does the author recommend against making direct database calls in React server components?

The author believes that making direct database calls in React server components is not a long-term maintainable solution and suggests using a layered architecture for better control and separation of concerns.

What is the role of 'controllers' in the context of the author's discussion on code architecture?

In the context of the author's discussion, 'controllers' or 'server actions' act as the presentational layer that handles the interaction with the user and invokes business logic without mixing with Next.js specific code.

What does the author mean by 'use cases' in their code architecture?

In the author's code architecture, 'use cases' refer to the business logic that is invoked by actions and is responsible for processing data and applying business rules, independent of the presentation layer.

How does the author implement authentication and rate limiting in their server actions?

The author uses a library called Zsa to create middlewares for authentication and rate limiting, ensuring that only authenticated users can perform actions and that endpoints are protected against abuse.

What is the purpose of the 'persistence layer' in the author's architecture?

The persistence layer is responsible for providing methods to store and query data from the data store, abstracting away the specifics of the database or ORM being used.

Why does the author recommend collocating components and related files in the same directory?

The author recommends collocating components and related files in the same directory to make the project easier to maintain and understand, as it provides a clear association between related parts of the application.

What is the potential issue with not following a structured architecture like clean architecture or layered architecture?

Not following a structured architecture can lead to business logic being spread throughout the application, making it difficult to maintain, understand, and refactor, as well as increasing the risk of inconsistent logic across different parts of the application.