Deploying a Next.js app: static export or Node server, and where each one fits

Next.js can come out in two very different ways, and picking the wrong one lies behind almost every deployment problem. The short answer: if your site does not need code running on the server for every visit, make a static export and publish it as plain files, which fits any hosting plan. If it does (pages rendered on the server, API routes, middleware), you need an always-on Node process: it fits “Setup Node.js App” when it is simple, and sits better on a VPS.

The possible outputs

Mode	What it produces	Where it runs	What you give up
Static export	A folder of HTML, CSS and JavaScript files (called `out` by default).	On any hosting plan, like an ordinary site, in the domain’s public folder.	API routes, server-side rendering and middleware. According to the Next.js documentation, `next/image` images need `unoptimized: true`.
Node server (`next start`)	A Node process that answers every request.	In cPanel’s “Setup Node.js App”, or on a VPS with PM2 and nginx.	It uses memory all the time and is subject to the account limits.
`standalone` mode	A `.next/standalone` folder with a `server.js` and only what is needed.	Like the Node server; it is the lightest thing to copy to a VPS or into a Docker image.	You must copy the `public` and `.next/static` folders by hand, according to the documentation.

Static export, step by step

1	Ask for the export. In Next’s configuration file (next.config.js) set output: 'export'. If you use Next’s images, also add images: { unoptimized: true }.

2	Build on your own computer: npm run buildThe `out` folder appears with the finished site.

3	Upload the contents of `out` (not the folder itself) to the domain’s public folder, over FTP: uploading the site with FileZilla.

4	Test by opening an internal link and refreshing the page. If you get a 404, it is the routing problem: publishing a React or Vue site.

A Node server in cPanel

1 Build on your computer and upload only the result: the .next and public folders, package.json, package-lock.json and the configuration file. Do not upload node_modules. Building on the server uses memory and thousands of files, and the account has limits for both: the limits nobody advertises.

2 Create a startup file (for example server.js) in the application root. It starts Next and listens on whatever port Passenger gives it:const { createServer } = require("http");
const next = require("next");
const app = next({ dev: false });
const handle = app.getRequestHandler();
app.prepare().then(() => {
createServer((req, res) => handle(req, res)).listen(process.env.PORT || 3000);
});

3	Create the application in “Setup Node.js App”: the Node version your Next asks for, production mode, the root, the address and the startup file. Use “Run NPM Install” for the dependencies. The general walk-through is in getting a Node.js application running.

4	Set the variables on the application screen and restart. Note that the ones starting with `NEXT_PUBLIC_` are baked into the code at build time, so changing them means building again.

Not everything fits a shared account. A Next.js server is a process that stays in memory. If it falls over or slows down for no obvious reason, see the causes of the 503 error. For background jobs, long connections or heavy traffic, the right place is a VPS: keeping the app running with PM2.

When in doubt, start with the static export. It is the cheapest to maintain, the fastest to serve and leaves nothing running that could break. Move to a Node server only when a page really needs server data on every request.

Does your application need a process of its own and more room? Have a look at our VPS plans.

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The possible outputs

Static export, step by step

A Node server in cPanel

Knowledgebase

Categories

Categories

Support