Mastering Nextjs Server Action: Best Practices with Zsa for Type-Safe Development

Ensuring type safety in your Nextjs server actions is crucial for building reliable applications. Next.js is a powerful React framework, but managing server-side actions while keeping everything type-safe can be tricky. That’s where the Zsa package comes in. It combines Zod and server actions to help you follow best practices for smooth development. In this guide, we’ll show you how to implement type-safe server actions in your Next.js Todo application using Zsa.

#Table of contents

• Why Type Safety is Essential in Nextjs Server Actions
• What is the Zsa Package?
• Setting Up Your Todo Application with Zsa
  • Initial Setup
  • Defining Input Schemas with Zod
  • Creating Server Actions with Zsa
  • Using Server Actions in Client Components
• Security: Authentication and Authorization
• Conclusion: Enhancing Your Next.js Application with Zsa

#Why Type Safety is Essential in Nextjs Server Actions

Type safety is important because it helps prevent errors and makes your code easier to maintain. In a Next.js application, server actions handle data flow, so making sure these actions are type-safe is key to avoiding problems later on. The Zsa package integrates Zod library for schema declaration and validation with Next.js server actions to provide a simple and efficient way to validate data.

#What is the Zsa Package?

The Zsa package is a tool that combines Zod with Nextjs server actions. This makes it easier to ensure that your data is type-safe and properly validated, which improves both your development process and the user experience.

You can check out the latest updates and features of the Zsa package on their official GitHub page here.

#Setting Up Your Todo Application with Zsa

#Initial Setup

• Start by setting up your Next.js project. If you don’t already have one, create a new Todo application with the following command:

npx create-next-app@latest todo-app
cd todo-app

• Next, install the necessary dependencies:

npm install zsa zod react-hook-form

#Defining Input Schemas with Zod

• Zod lets you define schemas that validate your data before it reaches the server actions. For your Todo application, you might define a schema to ensure that each Todo item has a title and optionally a description:

import { z } from 'zod';
 
const createTodoSchema = z.object({
  title: z.string().min(1, "Title is required"),
  description: z.string().optional(),
});

#Creating Server Actions with Zsa

• With Zsa, you can create server actions that are type-safe and validated. Here’s how to implement a server action for creating a Todo item:

import { createServerAction } from 'zsa';
import { createTodoSchema } from './schemas';
 
export const createTodo = createServerAction(createTodoSchema, async (input) => {
  // Your server logic here
  const { title, description } = input;
  // Assume we have a function to save the Todo to the database
  await saveTodoToDatabase(title, description);
  return { success: true };
});

#Using Server Actions in Client Components

• To use these server actions in your React components, you can use React Hook Form for input validation:

import React from 'react';
import { useForm } from 'react-hook-form';
import { zodResolver } from '@hookform/resolvers/zod';
import { createTodo } from '../serverActions/createTodo';
import { createTodoSchema } from './schemas';
 
 
const CreateTodoForm = () => {
  const { register, handleSubmit, formState: { errors } } = useForm({
    resolver: zodResolver(createTodoSchema),
  });
 
  const onSubmit = async (data) => {
    const result = await createTodo(data);
    if (result.success) {
      alert('Todo created successfully!');
    } else {
      alert('Error creating Todo');
    }
  };
 
  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit(onSubmit)}>
      <div>
        <label>Title</label>
        <input {...register('title')} />
        {errors.title && <p>{errors.title.message}</p>}
      </div>
      <div>
        <label>Description</label>
        <input {...register('description')} />
      </div>
      <button type="submit">Create Todo</button>
    </form>
  );
};

#Security: Authentication and Authorization

When working with Server Actions, it’s important to treat them as public-facing API endpoints and ensure that users are authorized to perform any actions. Here’s an example of how to handle authentication and authorization:

'use server'
 
import { auth } from './lib'
 
export function addItem() {
  const { user } = auth()
  if (!user) {
    throw new Error('You must be signed in to perform this action')
  }
 
  // ...
}

This ensures that only authenticated users can perform certain actions within Nextjs server actions, adding a layer of security to your Next.js application..

#Conclusion: Enhancing Your Next.js Application with Zsa

By using the Zsa package to implement type-safe Nextjs server actions, you can make sure that your Todo application is solid, efficient, and secure. Combining Zod with server actions simplifies your code and improves the overall user experience.

Try integrating Zsa into your Next.js projects today to ensure your server actions are both type-safe and user-friendly. Don’t forget to check out the Zsa package on GitHub for the latest updates and features!