How to Deploy Next.js to AWS: Step-by-Step Guide

To deploy a Next.js app to AWS, you can use AWS Amplify for a simple, managed hosting solution or AWS Elastic Beanstalk for more control. Both methods involve building your app locally, then uploading or connecting your code repository to AWS services for deployment.

Syntax

Deploying Next.js to AWS typically involves these steps:

• Build your Next.js app: Run npm run build to prepare production files.
• Choose AWS service: Use AWS Amplify for easy hosting or AWS Elastic Beanstalk for full server control.
• Deploy: Connect your code repository or upload build files to AWS and configure environment settings.

bash

npm run build

# For AWS Amplify CLI deployment
amplify init
amplify add hosting
amplify publish

# For Elastic Beanstalk deployment
zip -r app.zip .
eb init
eb create
eb deploy

Example

This example shows how to deploy a Next.js app to AWS Amplify using the Amplify CLI.

First, build your app locally, then initialize Amplify, add hosting, and publish.

bash

npm run build

npx @aws-amplify/cli@latest init
npx @aws-amplify/cli@latest add hosting
npx @aws-amplify/cli@latest publish

Output

✔ Initialized Amplify project
✔ Added hosting with Amazon CloudFront and S3
✔ Published app to AWS Amplify hosting
Hosting URL: https://yourapp.amplifyapp.com

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when deploying Next.js to AWS include:

• Not building the app before deployment, causing missing production files.
• Using server-side features without configuring AWS Lambda or server support.
• Ignoring environment variables setup in AWS, leading to runtime errors.
• Uploading source code instead of the built output for static hosting.

Always build your app and configure environment variables properly.

bash

Wrong (deploying without build):

# Uploading source files directly
aws s3 cp ./ . --recursive

Right (build before deploy):

npm run build
aws s3 cp ./out/ . --recursive

Quick Reference

Step	AWS Amplify	AWS Elastic Beanstalk
Build app	npm run build	npm run build
Initialize	amplify init	eb init
Add hosting	amplify add hosting	Configure Docker or Node.js environment
Deploy	amplify publish	eb create && eb deploy
Environment vars	Set in Amplify Console	Set in Elastic Beanstalk config

Key Takeaways

Always run npm run build before deploying your Next.js app to AWS.

Use AWS Amplify for simple hosting or Elastic Beanstalk for more control.

Configure environment variables in AWS to avoid runtime errors.

Do not upload source code directly when using static hosting like Amplify.

Test your deployed app URL to confirm successful deployment.