Top Next Js Online Editors – Build and Deploy Next.js Apps

Next js is one of the most popular React frameworks where we can build production-ready web apps to serve them server-side. We can easily start building applications in Next js. The process becomes easier when you can build and run the next js application on online editors.

In this guide, we will discuss the most popular Online Editors for building and running the Next js application and share their line with anybody in real-time. The best part of an online editor is we don’t need to install any prerequisites before developing or running the applications.

 

Benefits of Using an Online Editor

Let’s have a look at the various benefits of  building Next.js apps with an online editor:

No local setup required – Start right away without installing any dependencies like Node, npm, etc locally.

Instant collaboration – You can easily share project URLs with others who can view, edit, and deploy your app online in real-time.

Git integration – Most of the online editors have built-in Git support for version control.

Popular frameworks pre-installed – Next js and its basic structure is already configured to start coding.

Deploy instantly – After completing the deployment we can easily deploy our apps to a public URL.

 

Top Online Editors for Next.js

Let’s have a look at the top and best online editors for Next js development:

1 – StackBlitz

• Next.js templates available
• Integrated preview and one-click deployment
• Shareable project URL
• Realtime collaboration

 

1 – CodeSandbox

• Supports importing Next.js templates
• Integrated terminal, debugger, and GitHub import
• Team collaboration features
• Instant deployment and hosting

 

2 – Codepen

• Add Next.js with npm init
• Supports CSS, Sass, and other preprocessors
• Creative focus with mix of JS, HTML, CSS
• Community showcase and pens

 

3 – Repl.it

• Next.js template available
• Powerful IDE with terminals, instant deployment, and databases
• Team development features
• Generous free plan

 

4 – Glitch

• Import Next.js from GitHub
• Realtime collaboration
• Great for hackathons and rapid prototyping

 

 

5 – Gitpod

• Dockerized dev environments
• Built-in VS Code IDE
• Automated setup with Git repositories
• Free for open source

So we discussed a number of great fully featured online editors which support not only Next js but other frameworks and languages. In some of them like Gitpod, you can directly push code to Git and also select your favourite IDE to code with and that’s all online.

 

Creating a Next.js App on StackBlitz

Let’s have a look at how to create a new app on StackBlitz using Next js:

1. Go to stackblitz.com and sign up for a free account.
2. Click Create New Project and select Next.js TypeScript as the template.
3. This will open up a shared Next.js project ready for editing!

 

StackBlitz sets up everything you need to start building your app:

• Next.js and React are pre-installed
• A basic pages/index.tsx is created
• Shared project URL for collaboration
• Git version control

 

Let’s update the index.tsx page to show “Hello World”:

export default function Home() {
  return <h1>Hello World</h1>
}

 

That’s all we need! Now we can instantly deploy our app by clicking Deploy in the left sidebar.

The app is now live on a shareable URL. As you make code changes, StackBlitz automatically rebuilds and redeploys your app – no need to run builds manually.

 

Adding Pages, Styling, and Data

With the basics covered, let’s look at some other things we can do:

Create pages – Add new TSX files under /pages for routing. For example, pages/about.tsx is accessible at /about.

Add styling – Import CSS files or use styled-jsx. For example:

/* styles.css */

h1 {
  color: purple;
}

// pages/index.tsx

import "./styles.css";

export default function Home() {
  return <h1>Hello World</h1>; 
}

 

• Fetch data – Make API calls in getStaticProps or getServerSideProps. For example:

export const getStaticProps = async () => {
  const data = await fetchAPI();

  return {
    props: {
      data   
    }
  }
}

That covers some of the basics – check out the Next.js docs for many more examples on dynamic pages, APIs, authentication, and more!