Are you ready to become a Next.js expert in just 60 days?

Follow this carefully designed daily roadmap and you'll be building real-world, production-ready applications in two months!

For deeper explanations, code examples, and full real-world projects, grab the ebook:

Next.js & React: The Ultimate Guide for Scalable Web Apps — highly recommended to supercharge your learning!

Days 1–5: Introduction to Next.js

  • Day 1: What is Next.js? Why use it? (Static vs Server-side Rendering)
  • Day 2: Install Next.js (npx create-next-app@latest) and explore project structure.
  • Day 3: Understand pages and routing basics.
  • Day 4: Dynamic routes ([id].js) and linking pages with next/link.
  • Day 5: Deep dive into the app/ vs pages/ directories (Next.js 13+).

(Tip: Follow along with the Next.js & React: The Ultimate Guide for Scalable Web Apps for visual walkthroughs.)

Days 6–10: Building Core Skills

  • Day 6: Create your first components and reuse them.
  • Day 7: Global CSS and CSS Modules (Component.module.css).
  • Day 8: Install TailwindCSS and setup with Next.js.
  • Day 9: Layouts: Building a consistent page structure across your app.
  • Day 10: Add SEO tags with next/head.

Days 11–15: Data Fetching and APIs

  • Day 11: getStaticProps - Static Site Generation explained.
  • Day 12: getServerSideProps - Real-time server-side rendering.
  • Day 13: getStaticPaths - Generate dynamic pages at build time.
  • Day 14: Create API Routes in /pages/api/.
  • Day 15: Fetch external APIs and display dynamic data.

(Note: In the ebook, you’ll find full working examples for these methods — Get it here).

Days 16–20: Advanced Routing and Features

  • Day 16: Nested routing and complex URL structures.
  • Day 17: Catch-all routes ([...slug].js) explained.
  • Day 18: Custom 404 Pages.
  • Day 19: Redirects and Rewrites in Next.js.
  • Day 20: Middleware basics for authentication and redirects.

Days 21–25: Backend Integration and Fullstack Features

  • Day 21: Build serverless functions with API routes.
  • Day 22: Handle POST requests and form submissions.
  • Day 23: Connect to a database (MongoDB/Prisma).
  • Day 24: Authentication basics with NextAuth.js.
  • Day 25: Protecting client-side and server-side routes.

(Again, the Next.js & React ebook has real examples for full authentication setups — get it here).

Days 26–30: UI Improvements and Optimization

  • Day 26: Image optimization using next/image.
  • Day 27: Script optimization using next/script.
  • Day 28: Lazy loading and performance improvements.
  • Day 29: Responsive design with TailwindCSS.
  • Day 30: Building reusable UI components (Navbar, Footer, Cards).

Days 31–35: Real-World Project #1 (Personal Blog)

  • Day 31: Plan and design your blog project.
  • Day 32: Set up dynamic blog posts with getStaticProps and getStaticPaths.
  • Day 33: Add categories, tags, and filters.
  • Day 34: SEO Optimization: Meta tags, OpenGraph, sitemap.xml.
  • Day 35: Deploy your blog to Vercel.

(Bonus: Full blog project walkthrough in the ebook — Get the ebook).

Days 36–40: Real-World Project #2 (E-commerce Store)

  • Day 36: Plan your store: Pages, Cart, Product Details.
  • Day 37: Connect to fake API (like fakestoreapi.com).
  • Day 38: Build a Cart functionality (context API or Zustand).
  • Day 39: Add checkout flow (dummy for now).
  • Day 40: Deploy and optimize.

Days 41–45: Fullstack Mastery

  • Day 41: Server Components in Next.js 14/15.
  • Day 42: Server Actions basics.
  • Day 43: Build a mini dashboard (protected route).
  • Day 44: Use MongoDB + Next.js for real data storage.
  • Day 45: Deploy a fullstack app (Vercel + MongoDB Atlas).

Days 46–50: Productivity and Scaling

  • Day 46: Folder structure for large Next.js apps.
  • Day 47: Use SWR or React Query for better data fetching.
  • Day 48: Add a CMS (like Sanity.io or Contentful) to your Next.js app.
  • Day 49: Learn about code splitting and prefetching.
  • Day 50: Implement dark mode and theme toggles.

(Need full advanced projects? Grab the full Next.js & React ebook here.)

Days 51–55: Final Capstone Project (SaaS Dashboard)

  • Day 51: Plan a SaaS project (Dashboard UI, Authentication, Billing).
  • Day 52: Set up pages, API routes, server components.
  • Day 53: Integrate a payment system (use Stripe test mode).
  • Day 54: Create admin vs user dashboards.
  • Day 55: Polish your project and prepare it for launch.

Days 56–60: Polishing and Mastery

  • Day 56: Advanced Deployment strategies (custom domains, SSL, environment variables).
  • Day 57: Analytics and error monitoring (Vercel Analytics, Sentry).
  • Day 58: Upgrade performance (Lighthouse audits, Core Web Vitals).
  • Day 59: Learn internationalization (i18n) basics in Next.js.
  • Day 60: Portfolio: Showcase your projects, update your resume, and start applying for jobs!

Final Thoughts

You made it through 60 days! You now have a powerful skillset in Next.js that can open doors to freelance jobs, startups, or full-time web developer roles.

But remember: This plan is even more powerful when combined with in-depth examples, real project code, and professional tips from the ebook:

Get "Next.js & React: The Ultimate Guide for Scalable Web Apps" here →

Level up your future — today!