Interviews test whether you understand rendering boundaries, caching, and routing—not memorized config trivia. Practice 30–60 second spoken answers.
Core topics
- App Router file conventions and dynamic segments
- Server vs Client Components and
'use client' - Data fetching, cache, revalidate, dynamic vs static
- Server Actions vs Route Handlers
- Middleware use cases and limits
- Performance: streaming, images, bundle size
Sample questions
- Q: Default component type in app/?
A: Server Component—client is opt-in. - Q: When does a route become dynamic?
A: Using cookies/headers,cache: 'no-store', or other per-request APIs without static caching. - Q: How do you pass data from server to client?
A: Serializable props through component composition—not arbitrary functions. - Q: Next.js vs React?
A: Next.js adds routing, rendering modes, data/cache conventions, and deployment tooling on React.
Whiteboard habit
Sketch a page: server layout, async page fetch, client island for interactivity. Label what runs on server vs browser and what ships in the JS bundle.
Self-check
- Can you explain RSC without saying “faster” alone?
- Can you describe when you would use middleware?
Interview: Draw one App Router page: server layout, async fetch, client island—label what ships in the JS bundle vs runs on Node.
Interview prep
- Must-know Next.js interview topics?
RSC vs client boundaries, caching/revalidation, dynamic vs static routes, Server Actions, middleware scope, and what ships in the client bundle.