Next.js Advanced Routing Methods: Dynamic API Routes, Imperial Routes, and Shortcuts

Built on top of React, the powerful Next.js offers not only core features, but also advanced routing methods that allow developers to create dynamic and responsive web applications.

In this article, we will look at these three advanced routing methods: Dynamic API Routes, Imperative Routes, and Shallow Routes. We will provide code examples and practical implementations to help you use the full capabilities of Next.js in your projects.

1. Dynamic API routes

Dynamic route API allows you to create a flexible and dynamic API by specifying route parameters. It is most useful if your application needs to handle different API requests or operations with a single API endpoint.

Implementaion:

Create a dynamic API path that handles different product IDs.

// pages/api/products/[id].js

export function main (req, res) {
  const {id} = req.query;

  // Get product data from database or API by ID
  const product = getProductById(id);

  res.status(200).json(product);
}

In this example, the "[id]" part of the filename indicates that this path accepts dynamic parameters. You can access the "id" parameter using "req.query.id". This dynamic API route can handle requests for different product IDs.

2. Imperative Routing

Imperial Routing in next.js allows programmatic navigation between pages using the Router module from the front / router folder. This is useful when you need to target users based on specific actions or events.

Implementaion:

Create a button that takes you to another page when clicked.

// pages/index.js

from 'next/router' { import useRouter;

HomePage() function.
  const router = useRouter();

  const handleClick = () => {
    // Be sure to go to the "about" page
    router.push('/about');
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome to the Imperial Route</h1>
      <button onClick = {handleClick}> Go to About </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export main HomePage;

In this example, when the button is clicked, "router.push("/about")" is used to automatically navigate to the "about" page.

3. Shallow Routing

Shallow routing is a unique feature of Next.js that allows you to change URLs without using data recollection methods. This is especially useful for saving the current page position during navigation.

Implementaion:

Create deep links that change the URL without refreshing the entire page.

// pages/products.js

from 'next/router' { import useRouter;

function ProductsPage() {
  const router = useRouter();

  const handleSallowLinkClick = () => {
    // Change the URL without using the getter method
    router.push('/products?category=shoes', undefined, {vulnerable: true});
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome to the Shallow Route</h1>
      <button click={handleShallowLinkClick}>Change URL</button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default ProductsPage;

In this example, when the button is clicked, the URL is changed to "/product?category=shoes" without reloading the page or using the data retrieval method. Useful for keeping the current state of the page when you change the URL.

Conclusion

Next.js' advanced routing techniques, including Dynamic API Routes, Imperative Routes, and Shallow Routes, provide tools for building dynamic, responsive, and responsive web applications. While dynamic API endpoints should be managed, allowing users to change their URL based on actions or without full page load, Next.js focuses on this powerful routing feature. Add these techniques to your projects to improve your user experience and streamline your development process.