Next.js SDK
This Next.js SDK is designed to help you integrate with Unleash and evaluate feature flags inside your application.
You can use this client with Unleash Enterprise or Unleash Open Source.
Setup
Installation
To install, simply run:
There is an ./example project that you can deploy to Vercel or edit in CodeSandbox.
Environment Variables
This package will attempt to load configuration from Next.js Environment variables.
When using Unleash client-side, with <FlagProvider /> or getFrontendFlags() configure:
NEXT_PUBLIC_UNLEASH_FRONTEND_API_URL. URL should end with/api/frontendor/proxyNEXT_PUBLIC_UNLEASH_FRONTEND_API_TOKENclient-side API token if you’re using the front-end API.- Using Edge is the same as using the frontend API, so you’ll need a FRONTEND_API_TOKEN, and your URL should end with
/api/frontend.
If using server-side (SSR, SSG, API), using getDefinitions() and evaluateFlags(), set:
UNLEASH_SERVER_API_URLof you instance. URL should end with/apiUNLEASH_SERVER_API_TOKENBackend API client token
Detailed Explanation
If you plan to use configuration in the browser, add NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix.
If both are defined and available, private variable takes priority.
You can use both to have different values on client-side and server-side.
UNLEASH_SERVER_INSTANCE_ID instead of UNLEASH_SERVER_API_TOKEN to authorize with GitLab’s service.Usage
A). App Router
This package is ready for server-side use with App Router.
Refer to ./example/README.md#App-router for an implementation example.
B). Middleware
It’s possible to run this SDK in Next.js Edge Middleware. This is a great use case for A/B testing, where you can transparently redirect users to different pages based on a feature flag. Target pages can be statically generated, improving performance.
Refer to ./example/README.md#Middleware for an implementation example.
C). Client-side Only - Simple Use Case and for Development Purposes (CSR)
Fastest way to get started is to connect frontend directly to Unleash. You can find out more about direct Front-end API access in our documentation, including a guide on how to setup a client-side SDK key.
Important: Hooks and provider are only available in @unleash/nextjs/client.
With <FlagProvider /> in place you can now use hooks like: useFlag, useVariant, or useFlagsStatus to block rendering until flags are ready.
Optionally, you can configure FlagProvider with the config prop. It will take priority over environment variables.
If you only plan to use Unleash client-side React SDK now also works with Next.js. Check documentation there for more examples.
D). Static Site Generation, Optimized Performance (SSG)
With same access as in the client-side example above you can resolve Unleash feature flags when building static pages.
The same approach will work for ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration).
Both getDefinitions() and getFrontendFlags() can take arguments overriding URL, token and other request parameters.
E). Server Side Rendering (SSR)
F). Bootstrapping / Rehydration
You can bootstrap Unleash React SDK to have values loaded from the start. Initial value can be customized server-side.
Server-side Flags and Metrics (New in v1.5.0)
Next.js applications using Server-Side Rendering (SSR) are often deployed in serverless or short-lived environments, such as Vercel. This creates challenges for server-side metrics reporting.
Typically, Unleash backend SDKs (like the Node.js SDK run in long-lived processes, allowing them to cache metrics locally and send them to the Unleash API or Edge API at scheduled intervals.
However, in some short-lived serverless environments where Next.js is commonly hosted (e.g., Vercel), there is no persistent in-memory cache across multiple requests. As a result, metrics must be reported on each request.
To address this, the SDK provides a sendMetrics function that can be called wherever needed, but it should be executed after feature flag checks client.isEnabled() or variant checks client.getVariant().
We also recommend setting up the Edge API in front of your Unleash API. This helps protect your Unleash API from excessive traffic caused by per-request metrics reporting.
No setInterval Support (e.g. Vercel)
If your runtime does not allow setInterval calls then you can report metrics on each request as shown below. Consider using Unleash Edge in this scenario.
Next.js 15 and Newer
Latest versions of Next.js allow to run code after the response is sent, with after function.
Next.js 14 and Older
App Router
Page Router
Next.js Middleware
In middleware.ts you can use event.waitUntil() to reliably send metrics without delaying the response.
setInterval Support (e.g. Long-running Node Process or AWS Lambda)
If your Next application resolves flags only in SSR mode and setInterval is supported then you may also consider using Node.js SDK instead, which is less taxing on metrics reporting.
Check this blog post for more information on short-running lambdas that still support setInterval.
CLI (Experimental)
You can use unleash [action] [options] in your package.json scripts section, or with:
For the CLI to work, the following environment variables must be configured with appropriate values:
UNLEASH_SERVER_API_URLUNLEASH_SERVER_API_TOKEN
The CLI will attempt to read environment values from any .env files if they’re present. You can also set the variables directly when invoking the interface, as in the CLI usage example.
Usage
get-definitions <outputFile.json>Download feature flags definitions for bootstrapping (offline use) of server-side SDK.generate-types [options] <outputFile.ts>Generate types and typed functions from feature flags defined in an Unleash instance. It will also generate strictly typed versions ofuseFlag,useVariant,useFlagsandflagsClient(unless--typesOnlyis used).-t, --typesOnlydon’t include typed versions of functions exported from@unleash/nextjs(default: false)-b, --bootstrap <sourceFile.json>load definitions from a file instead of fetching definitions - work offline
-VOutput the version number
Example
Try it now
Known Limitation
- When used server-side, this SDK does not support the “Hostname” and “IP” strategies. Use custom context fields and constraints instead.