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You can build a Next.js app without a database when its data is fixed at deployment time, is meant to be public, or belongs only to one visitor’s browser. Those approaches are not interchangeable: build-time data does not handle runtime writes, a file in public/ is public, and browser storage is not shared with other visitors. If users or server instances must share changes that persist at runtime, the app needs a durable storage service or a self-hosted environment with explicit persistence and coordination guarantees.
Choose storage by when the data changes and who needs it
Before choosing a file or API, answer four questions: when does the data change, who is allowed to read it, which visitors or server instances need to share it, and what persistence does the host guarantee? The right database-free option depends on those boundaries—not just on the size of the dataset.
| Option | Good fit | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Imported source data or build-time generation | Version-controlled content that changes with a code or content deployment | Changes generally require regenerating and redeploying the site. Keep private source data out of public output and client bundles. |
public/ files |
Images, downloads, and other assets intended to be accessible by URL | Files are public assets, not private application storage. Next.js defaults their cache header to public, max-age=0. |
| Static export | Sites whose pages and assets can be generated at build time and served by a static web server | There is no Next.js runtime in the exported site; runtime-dependent features such as API routes and ISR are unsupported. |
| Browser storage | Personal, browser-local state such as a visitor’s preference | It is available in the browser, not during server rendering, and does not provide shared storage for other visitors or server instances. |
| Local filesystem or Next.js cache | Temporary files, or a self-hosted single instance with persistent local disk | Ephemeral hosts may not preserve local disk. Default caches are instance-specific unless coordinated. |
| Runtime route handlers | Server-side request logic in a deployment that supports a Next.js runtime | Runtime logic alone does not guarantee durable or shared storage; some hosts run handlers as lambdas with filesystem and cross-request sharing limits. |
Use imported data when changes ship with the site
For a small dataset that is maintained alongside the application and changes only when you deploy, keep it in source-controlled files and use it to generate pages or props during the build. In the Pages Router, getStaticProps runs at build time to prerender a page; Next.js also creates a JSON file containing the returned props for client-side navigation. See the Next.js Pages Router documentation for getStaticProps.
This pattern works well for catalogs, reference material, or other read-mostly content. It does not make the data dynamically writable: absent another runtime feature, updates take effect when the relevant pages or export are regenerated and deployed. Treat any data included in generated HTML, JSON, or client-side code as content that visitors can receive. Do not put secrets or private datasets in files that become part of the public output.
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Use public/ for files that should be served by URL
Put images, downloadable documents, and other intentionally public assets in the Next.js public/ directory when serving them as static files is the goal. Next.js serves those files by URL path; the directory is not a private store or a way to keep application data secret. Its documentation says it “cannot safely cache assets in the public folder because they may change,” and the default cache header is public, max-age=0. See Next.js file-system conventions: public.
If an asset changes, consider whether your hosting and cache configuration should change as well. A public URL is appropriate only if anyone who can reach that URL may access the file.
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Export the site when all required output can be generated ahead of time
A static export produces HTML and assets that a static web server can serve without running a Next.js server. That suits a site whose routes and data can be prepared at build time. The trade-off is fundamental: the exported site has no Next.js runtime to answer requests or perform runtime work. The official guide lists API routes and Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR), among other runtime-dependent features, as unsupported in export mode. Request-dependent behavior therefore cannot be computed by the exported Next.js site itself. Check the Next.js static exports guide for the current supported-feature list before choosing this deployment mode.
Because an export publishes web files, credentials and private datasets must not be included in the exported output. Static hosting changes how pages are delivered; it does not turn public files into private storage.
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Keep browser-only state in the browser
Browser APIs such as window and localStorage are unavailable while Next.js is rendering on the server. Read or write them only in browser-side code, rather than assuming the value exists during server rendering. The Next.js documentation demonstrates this distinction in its static export deployment guidance.
This is a fit for state scoped to an individual browser, such as a display preference, when the product can work with that scope. It is not a shared source of truth for other visitors or your server. The cited Next.js guidance does not establish numeric capacity or durability guarantees for browser storage, so choose a browser API based on the needs of your application without relying on an unsupported quota assumption.
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Do not mistake a local disk or cache for shared durable storage
In self-hosted Next.js, the default cache uses local disk. That can be useful where the deployment has persistent disk and a single instance, but it is not a general-purpose application datastore. On ephemeral compute, local disk may be unavailable or may not survive replacement of an instance. With multiple instances, their default caches are separate unless you coordinate them. The Next.js self-hosting guide explains these hosting-dependent behaviors.
Temporary work files may be appropriate if the host explicitly provides suitable temporary storage. Do not rely on them for records that must survive instance replacement or be visible to other instances.
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Use runtime handlers only with a storage plan for runtime writes
When an application needs server-side request logic, Next.js route handlers can provide it in a deployment that supports a Next.js runtime. But adding a route handler does not itself persist data. The Next.js Backend for Frontend guide notes that some hosts deploy route handlers as lambdas that cannot share data between requests and may not support filesystem writes.
If multiple visitors or server instances must observe runtime changes, or data must survive an ephemeral instance being replaced, build-time files, browser storage, and instance-local disk do not meet that need on their own. Choose a deployment-supported durable service, or self-host with explicit persistence and coordination guarantees. The storage choice must match what the host actually guarantees.
Keep secrets out of client-visible output
Next.js loads .env* files into process.env; environment variables are server-only by default. A variable prefixed with NEXT_PUBLIC_ is inlined into the browser JavaScript bundle at build time and must not contain a secret. The official environment variables guide also advises keeping secrets out of committed files; environment files are generally added to .gitignore.
Apply the same visibility check to datasets: if a value is embedded in a generated page, exported file, public asset, or browser bundle, treat it as available to the client rather than as private server-side data.
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