Opting out of caching in NextJS - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Opting Out of Caching in Next.js

📖 Scenario: You are building a Next.js app that shows the current time on a page. You want to make sure the page always shows the latest time and does not use any cached version.

🎯 Goal: Create a Next.js server component page that displays the current time and opts out of caching so it updates on every request.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a server component page file named page.tsx

Use the revalidate = 0 cache option to disable caching

Display the current time using new Date().toLocaleTimeString()

Export a default async function named Page that returns the JSX

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Web apps often need to show live or frequently changing data, like stock prices or current time, where caching must be disabled to keep data fresh.

💼 Career

Understanding how to control caching in Next.js is important for building performant and accurate web applications that meet user expectations.

1

Create the page component file

Create a file named page.tsx and write an async function named Page that returns a simple JSX element with the text Current time: inside a <div>.

NextJS

// Your code here

Hint

Start by creating the basic page component that returns a div with the text 'Current time:'.

2

Add the revalidate = 0 cache option

Add the line export const revalidate = 0; at the top of page.tsx to disable caching and force the page to update on every request.

NextJS

export default async function Page() {
  return Current time:;
}
// Add the revalidate export above

Hint

Use export const revalidate = 0; to opt out of caching in Next.js.

3

Display the current time dynamically

Inside the Page function, create a variable named currentTime and set it to new Date().toLocaleTimeString(). Then update the JSX to display Current time: {currentTime} inside the <div>.

NextJS

export const revalidate = 0;

export default async function Page() {
  // Your code here
}

Hint

Use JavaScript's new Date().toLocaleTimeString() to get the current time and show it in the JSX.

4

Complete the page with no caching

Ensure the file page.tsx exports revalidate = 0 and the default async function Page that returns the current time inside a <div>. This setup disables caching and shows the live time on every request.

NextJS

export const revalidate = 0;

export default async function Page() {
  const currentTime = new Date().toLocaleTimeString();
  return Current time: {currentTime};
}
// Verify the export and function are correct

Hint

Double-check that the revalidate export and the Page function are correctly defined to disable caching.

Practice

1. In Next.js, how do you disable caching for a page to always fetch fresh content?

easy

A. Set cache: false in next.config.js

B. Use getStaticProps without any options

C. Add no-cache header in _app.js

D. Set export const revalidate = 0; in the page file

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Next.js caching control

   Next.js uses the revalidate export to control caching duration for static pages.

2. Step 2: Disable caching by setting revalidate to zero

   Setting revalidate = 0 tells Next.js to never cache and always fetch fresh data.

3. Final Answer:

   Set export const revalidate = 0; in the page file -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   revalidate = 0 disables caching [OK]

Hint: Remember: revalidate = 0 means no caching [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing revalidate with cache settings in config
• Trying to disable caching via headers only
• Omitting the export keyword for revalidate

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to disable caching in a Next.js page?

easy

A. export const revalidate = '0';

B. export const revalidate = 0;

C. const revalidate = 0;

D. export default revalidate = 0;

Solution

1. Step 1: Check correct export syntax

   In Next.js, caching control requires exporting a constant named revalidate.

2. Step 2: Use number zero without quotes

   The value must be a number 0, not a string, and must be exported properly.

3. Final Answer:

   export const revalidate = 0; -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Correct export with number zero disables caching [OK]

Hint: Use number 0 without quotes and export it [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using string '0' instead of number 0
• Not exporting the variable
• Using default export incorrectly

3. Given this Next.js page code snippet, what will be the caching behavior?

export const revalidate = 0;

export default function Page() {
  return <h1>Fresh Content</h1>;
}

medium

A. The page is never cached and always fetches fresh content

B. The page is cached and refreshed every 10 seconds

C. The page is cached indefinitely

D. The page throws a runtime error due to invalid revalidate value

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the revalidate value

   The code sets revalidate = 0, which disables caching.

2. Step 2: Understand effect on page behavior

   With caching disabled, the page always fetches fresh content on each request.

3. Final Answer:

   The page is never cached and always fetches fresh content -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   revalidate = 0 means no caching [OK]

Hint: revalidate 0 means always fresh, no cache [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming default caching applies
• Thinking 0 means cache forever
• Confusing with ISR default timing

4. You wrote this code to disable caching but the page still caches:

const revalidate = 0;

export default function Page() {
  return <div>No Cache</div>;
}

What is the error?

medium

A. Missing export keyword for revalidate

B. revalidate cannot be zero

C. Page component must be a class

D. Return statement syntax is incorrect

Solution

1. Step 1: Check revalidate declaration

   The variable revalidate must be exported to affect caching.

2. Step 2: Identify missing export

   Without export, Next.js ignores the variable and uses default caching.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing export keyword for revalidate -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   revalidate must be exported to disable caching [OK]

Hint: Always export revalidate to control caching [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting to export revalidate
• Thinking revalidate must be non-zero
• Confusing functional and class components

5. You want a Next.js page to always show fresh data but only disable caching for authenticated users. Which approach correctly opts out of caching only for them?

hard

A. Set revalidate = 0 inside getStaticProps conditionally

B. Set export const revalidate = 0; unconditionally in the page file

C. Use server-side rendering with export const dynamic = 'force-dynamic'; and check auth inside

D. Add Cache-Control: no-store header in _app.js for all requests

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand conditional caching needs

   Disabling caching only for authenticated users requires dynamic rendering based on request context.

2. Step 2: Use dynamic rendering with auth check

   Setting export const dynamic = 'force-dynamic'; forces server-side rendering, allowing auth checks per request.

3. Step 3: Why other options fail

   Set export const revalidate = 0; unconditionally in the page file disables caching for all users; Set revalidate = 0 inside getStaticProps conditionally is invalid because revalidate is static; Add Cache-Control: no-store header in _app.js for all requests affects all requests globally.

4. Final Answer:

   Use server-side rendering with export const dynamic = 'force-dynamic'; and check auth inside -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Dynamic rendering enables conditional caching [OK]

Hint: Use dynamic rendering to control caching per user [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to set revalidate conditionally inside getStaticProps
• Disabling caching globally instead of per user
• Misusing cache headers in _app.js