Next.js Redirect from / to another page

Handling client-side redirects without flash

When executing client-side redirects, a quick flash of the page before redirection might create a glitchy user experience. We can rectify this with a trick - location.replace() to emulate a server-side redirect:

import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

const Home = () => {
  const router = useRouter();

  useEffect(() => {
    router.replace('/newpage'); // Abracadabra! No more flashes.
  }, [router]);

  return null; // Patience, young Padawan! No need to render anything while redirecting.
};

export default Home;
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By returning null, we effectively prevent the rendering of any component before redirection and thus avoid the annoying flashing effect.

Conditional rendering and client-side redirects

When your code involves conditional rendering or specialization like authentication-based redirects, server-side solutions might seem heavy. Good news - guard patterns and next/link in Next.js are here for your client-side redirection rescue:

import Link from 'next/link';
import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

const Home = () => {
  const { asPath } = useRouter();
  
  if (conditionForRedirection) {
    return <Link href="/newpage"><a>Now you see me...soon you won't</a></Link>; // redirecting in stealth mode
  }

  return (
    // Your duty - component rendering
  );
};
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In this way, we redirect users on specific conditions without invoking any server-side overheads, perfect for rigorous dynamic rendering scenarios.

Leverage middleware for advanced redirection

For those power users among us, Next.js 12.1 introduces a flexible solution - middleware-based redirects for highly-controlled server-side redirection:

// pages/_middleware.js
import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';

export function middleware(request) {
  if (request.nextUrl.pathname === '/') {
    return NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/newpage', request.url)); // Like a GPS, but better!
  }

  return NextResponse.next(); // Onward, without any detours.
}
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With full control over every redirect, it allows complex redirection logic to be handled efficiently without the latency associated with server-side rendering features.

Understanding server-side vs client-side redirects

Choosing the right form of redirection in Next.js leads to an optimized performance and user experience. Here's a quick snapshot:

Remember, each method has its strengths based on the use case. Be wise with your choice.

Tips for working with redirects

While implementing patterns like authentication-based redirects, you might need to use middleware or getServerSideProps. For advanced patterns, draw wisdom from the collective experiences in the Next.js community. Also, don't forget:

• Establish global rules in next.config.js redirects.
• Prevent history stack entries with NextResponse.replace().
• Middleware redirects thrive in multi-route scenarios.

Advancing with Next.js redirects

For comprehensive understanding and use cases of Next.js redirects, don't forget to check out the official Next.js documentation and stay tuned with the Next.js community for advanced redirection scenarios.