Deploying Next.js with Server Rendering (and When to Use Static Export)

[julia-kafarska]

Full tutorial with screenshots: https://blog.light-cloud.com/tutorials/deploy-nextjs

Deploy Next.js 16 to Light Cloud with server rendering, no Vercel needed: pages rendered per request, prerendered pages, route handlers, static assets cached at the edge, and output: standalone for a smaller, faster-starting image.

Level: Beginner · Time: about 15 minutes · Plan: Free · Stack: Next.js 16, React 19, TypeScript

Steps

• Step 1: Create the app
• Step 2: Add the three routes
• Step 3: Push it to GitHub
• Step 4: Deploy it
• Step 5: Check what runs where
• Step 6: Make the image smaller with standalone output

Source code: https://github.com/light-cloud-com/tutorial-nextjs-app

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