Next.js Styling Approaches

When it comes to styling Next.js applications, there are several approaches that can be used. In this page, we'll explore some popular options.

1. CSS Modules

CSS Modules is a popular approach for styling Next.js applications. With CSS Modules, all CSS styles are scoped to a particular component, ensuring that the styles of one component don't affect another component.

/* styles.module.css */

.heading {
  font-size: 24px;
  font-weight: bold;
  color: blue;
}

// MyComponent.jsx

import styles from './styles.module.css';

export default function MyComponent() {
  return <h1 className={styles.heading}>Hello Next.js</h1>;
}

2. CSS-in-JS

CSS-in-JS is another popular approach for styling Next.js applications. With CSS-in-JS, styles are defined as JavaScript objects or functions, and are injected as inline styles into the component.

// MyComponent.jsx

import styled from 'styled-components';

const Heading = styled.h1`
  font-size: 24px;
  font-weight: bold;
  color: blue;
`;

export default function MyComponent() {
  return <Heading>Hello Next.js</Heading>;
}

3. Global CSS

Global CSS can be used in Next.js applications to define styles that apply across all components in the application.

/* styles.css */

body {
  background-color: #f7f7f7;
}

// MyComponent.jsx

export default function MyComponent() {
  return <h1>Hello Next.js</h1>;
}

// _app.jsx

import '../styles.css';

function MyApp({ Component, pageProps }) {
  return <Component {...pageProps} />;
}

export default MyApp;

Important Points

• CSS Modules can help you avoid naming collisions, as well as provide scoped styles for a specific component.
• CSS-in-JS can make it easier to manage styles in large applications, as well as providing the ability to create dynamic styles based on props or state.
• Global CSS can be useful for defining styles that apply across the whole application, but can also lead to naming collisions or unintended style overriding.
• Next.js provides support for several popular CSS-in-JS libraries such as styled-components and Emotion.

Summary

Styling Next.js applications can be accomplished in several ways, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. Whether you choose CSS Modules, CSS-in-JS, Global CSS or another approach, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each can save you time and effort in developing and maintaining your Next.js applications.