Next.js deployment: Node.js vs Static HTML Export?

Question

I am new to Next.js and I was looking at the Next.js deployment options https://nextjs.org/docs/deployment and I run into the following (and I guess most commonly used) options:

• deployment using a Node.js server: https://nextjs.org/docs/deployment#nodejs-server
• deployment using Static HTML Export: https://nextjs.org/docs/advanced-features/static-html-export#how-to-use-it

I am wondering, what is the actual difference there and how to better detect which approach should be used?

Answer 1

I believe Next.js' official documentation covers this properly: Advanced Features: Static HTML Export

Still some of the points that I feel should be highlighted:

• Statically exporting a Next.js application via next export disables API routes (because they can't be prerendered to HTML).

• next export is intended for scenarios where none of your pages have server-side data requirements (you will have to fetch all data client side or during build).

• next export causes features like Incremental Static Generation/Regeneration to be disabled.

• I18n routing is not supported (in static HTML export) as it requires Next.js' server-side routing.

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what is the actual difference there

As the name suggests, when you are statically exporting your app, you are simply building it into a bunch of HTML, CSS, JS files, which can be hosted with ease anywhere.

On the other hand, when you are deploying on a Node.js server, you can use some more features (as mentioned above). Although ultimately HTML, CSS, JS will be sent to the browser, but before sending you can specify your logic.

You can define your APIs without a need to write the backend of your app separately. You can server-side render your page, you can fetch data, and add it to your page so that the requests are not made from client side (a necessity if you don't want to share where are you getting data from).

Also when your code is running on a Node.js server you can use the default next/image loader, it optimizes the images that you serve. In static export you need to use third party libraries [or (generally paid) loaders], or maybe manually optimize them.

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which approach should be used

This is something that you need to figure out yourself. If your hosting provider restricts you to use only static assets, then you are forced to deploy site by statically exporting the HTML.

If your provider has option to deploy Node.js apps, then you need to check various parameters, like if you actually need a server to run your app, do you have some code that cannot/should not be executed on client side, ...