What deployment options and build outputs does Next.js support?

Question

Accepted Answer

Next.js supports several deployment targets, controlled partly by the **`output`** config. The right choice depends on whether you need the Node server, containers, or pure static hosting.

## The build output modes

```js
// next.config.js
module.exports = {
  // output: undefined  → default: needs a Node.js server (full features)
  // output: "standalone" → self-contained folder for Docker/containers
  // output: "export"     → pure static HTML/CSS/JS (no server)
};
```

## 1. Default (Node server) — full features

Runs a Node.js server, so you get **everything**: SSR, ISR, Server Actions, Route Handlers, image optimization, middleware. This is what platforms like **Vercel** (the maker of Next.js, zero-config) and Node hosts use.

## 2. output: "standalone" — for Docker / self-hosting

```dockerfile
# Next traces only the needed files into .next/standalone → a tiny, self-contained server
COPY --from=builder /app/.next/standalone ./
CMD ["node", "server.js"]
```

`standalone` produces a minimal folder with only the dependencies actually used, ideal for small Docker images on AWS, GCP, your own servers, etc. You keep all server features.

## 3. output: "export" — fully static

```text
next build → out/  (plain HTML/CSS/JS, deployable to any static host: S3, GitHub Pages, Netlify CDN)
```

Static export gives the cheapest, simplest hosting but **disables server features**: no SSR, no ISR, no Route Handlers, no Server Actions, no on-the-fly image optimization. Only suitable for fully static sites.

## Choosing

```text
Need SSR/ISR/Server Actions, want zero-config → Vercel (or a Node host) — default output
Want containers / self-host with full features → output: "standalone" + Docker
Purely static content (docs, marketing)        → output: "export" → any static CDN
```

## Other considerations

```text
- Runtime choice (Edge vs Node) affects where functions run
- Self-hosting ISR/caching needs persistent storage or a shared cache
- Image optimization on non-Vercel hosts may need a custom loader
```

## Why it matters

Deployment isn't one-size-fits-all: the `output` mode determines which Next.js features survive.

Knowing that the **default/Node** output keeps all server capabilities, **standalone** packages them for Docker/self-hosting, and **export** trades all server features for pure static hosting lets you match the build to your infrastructure — and avoid the trap of `output: "export"` silently breaking SSR/ISR/Server Actions.