Awesome 4 Next.js Packages You Should Use: redux-persist, notistack, axios, and next-images

Next.js is a powerful React framework that has many features for building high-performance web applications. Although Next.js is strong on its own, But some packages can make your development process smoother and more efficient.

Here, we’ll explore four great Next.js packages: redux-persist, notistack, axios, and next-images that will help improve your development process.

1. redux-persist: Persistent Redux State Across Reloads

Efficient state management is important when building complex web applications. If you use Redux for state management One problem you may encounter is Loss of state when the user reloads the page. That’s where redux-persist comes into play.

redux-persist automatically persists your Redux state to localStorage or sessionStorage, allowing your application to remain stateful between browser sessions and Can be reloaded This ensures that information such as user settings or authentication tokens is not lost when users refresh the page.

Key Features

  • Automatic State Persistence: Saves and rehydrates Redux state automatically.
  • Configurable Storage: You can choose different storage options, such as localStorage or sessionStorage.
  • Blacklist/Whitelist: Control which parts of the Redux state should or should not be persisted.

Use Case:

Great for preserving user sessions, cart data in e-commerce apps, or any state you don’t want to lose across browser sessions.

2. notistack: Easy and Flexible Snackbar Notifications

Managing notifications in a web application can be challenging, especially when dealing with multiple messages or alerts. notistack is a Snackbar notification library for React, which is both flexible and easy to use. It builds on top of Material-UI’s Snackbar component, adding features like stacking notifications and easy dismiss functionality.

Unlike other notification libraries that allow only one alert at a time, notistack lets you display multiple snackbars simultaneously, stacking them neatly. Additionally, it provides options to control the position, auto-dismissal, and customization of notifications.

Key Features:

  • Multiple Snackbars: Supports displaying multiple notifications at once.
  • Customizable: Easily customizable styles and positioning for notifications.
  • Dismissible: Allows users to manually or automatically dismiss notifications.

Use Case:

Ideal for applications that need to show real-time notifications or alerts, such as dashboards, chat apps, or forms with user feedback.

3. axios: Powerful HTTP Client for Fetching Data

axios is one of the most popular HTTP clients available for making asynchronous requests. With features like automatic JSON parsing, error handling, and support for interceptors, axios simplifies API interactions compared to the native fetch API.

axios its ease of usage and seamless functioning on both client-side and server-side contexts, makes it perfect for Next.js applications. It also allows you to set global defaults, such as base URLs or headers, for all HTTP requests.

Key Features:

  • Promise-based: Provides a cleaner way to handle requests and responses using JavaScript promises.
  • Interceptors: Modify requests or responses before they are handled, which is great for adding authentication tokens to API requests.
  • Error Handling: Automatically handles errors and returns useful error messages.

Use Case:

Perfect for any Next.js application that needs to make API calls, whether fetching data from a REST API or interacting with third-party services.

4. next-images: Import Images Easily in Next.js

Dealing with images in web applications can sometimes be a hassle, especially when you want to use modern features like optimized image loading. Next-images allows you to import image files directly into your components. This package enables importing images (PNG, JPG, SVG, GIF, etc.) as React components or image paths.

With next-images, you can easily configure your Next.js project to handle static images without having to worry about complex Webpack configurations.

Key Features:

  • Direct Import: Import image files like you would JavaScript modules.
  • Optimized for Next.js: Works seamlessly with Next.js static image optimization features.
  • Supports Multiple Formats: Allows you to import different image formats like PNG, SVG, and JPEG.

Use Case:

Useful in any Next.js project where you want to manage and display static assets like logos, icons, or illustrations.