Next.js Integration Guide #316
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| # Introduction | ||
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| ## Why Add DBOS To a Next.js Application? | ||
| [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) is a solid choice for full-stack applications, but popular Next.js hosting options focus on serverless, CDN-heavy deployments that do not allow long-running tasks or other “heavy lifting” in the server. By adding DBOS Transact, and running in a suitable hosting environment (such as [DBOS Cloud](https://www.dbos.dev/dbos-cloud)), the following additional features are available: |
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I think it'll look much cleaner if we keep this list short. We can also point to the "Why DBOS" page.
- Reliable long-running tasks through lightweight durable execution. (point to workflow tutorial)
- Built-in observability and debugging support.
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The "Why DBOS" page doesn't really say "why DBOS"... but I made this a lot shorter.
| - Marking Modules as External – Configuring webpack to treat DBOS modules and files as external, ensuring they are not bundled. | ||
| - Using globalThis – Accessing code and data through [`globalThis`](https://ja-visser.medium.com/globalreferences-in-nodejs-75f095962596) instead of import, effectively bypassing the bundler. | ||
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| ### webpack Configuration in `next.config.ts` |
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Maybe explicitly call the webpack config "Option 1: ..." and then the globalThis "Option 2:...". It's unclear whether a user needs both, or either one of those would work.
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One, the other, both, or maybe options not listed here...
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Let's try to be more prescriptive. I read this section and frankly I don't know what I need to do. Do I have to configure webpack? Do I have to do it just for the dbos-sdk library code or for other code as well? (can we fix Transact so it survives bundling automatically?) When do I need globalThis? Is it for any DBOS-decorated class?
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Transact is not broken.
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Tried to make more prescriptive.
| If your project does not currently have a `server.ts` file or similar, or if you are using the default `server.js` provided by Next.js, the first step is to create one. This file can be created in the top level of your project, inside `src/`, or in any sensible place within your app structure. | ||
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| The DBOS demo apps contain example `server.ts` files to copy: | ||
| - [DBOS Next.js Template](https://github.com/dbos-inc/dbos-demo-apps/blob/main/typescript/dbos-nextjs-starter/src/server.ts): This project uses a basic `server.ts` file. |
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I would include a simple copy-pasteable server.ts in a details block.
| - [DBOS Task Scheduler](https://github.com/dbos-inc/dbos-demo-apps/blob/main/typescript/nextjs-calendar/src/server.ts): This project uses a more sophisticated `server.ts` file with WebSocket support, etc. | ||
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| ### Compilation Settings For DBOS Code | ||
| Using DBOS with Next.js requires some TypeScript compiler settings that do not match Next.js defaults. These can either be added to your existing `tsconfig.json`, or if they are incompatible with the existing `tsconfig.json` settings, a separate `tsconfig.server.json` file can be created for use with the server builds. |
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This could be softened a bit, right now it sounds scary ("uncommon settings") when it's really quite mild.
| By default, `DBOS.launch()` will read [`dbos-config.yaml`](../typescript/reference/configuration) to get key information, such as database settings. To configure DBOS programatically, see [`DBOS.setConfig`](../typescript/reference/transactapi/dbos-class#setting-the-application-configuration). | ||
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| ## Calling DBOS Code From Next.js | ||
| The DBOS Transact library and application your workflow functions are available in all server-side request handling, including page loads, server actions, and route handlers. |
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Better yet, it has extra. (Good catch.)
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