Deploying Next.js on AWS with CDK

Deploying a Next.js application to AWS can seem daunting, but with the right architecture and tools, it becomes straightforward and cost-effective.

Architecture Overview

Our deployment uses a modern serverless architecture:

1. CloudFront - Global CDN for fast content delivery
2. S3 - Static file hosting for the Next.js build output
3. API Gateway + Lambda - Serverless backend APIs
4. Route53 - DNS management
5. ACM - SSL/TLS certificates

Why This Architecture?

Cost-Effective

• No always-on servers
• Pay only for what you use
• CloudFront free tier covers most small sites

Scalable

• Automatically handles traffic spikes
• Global edge locations for low latency
• No capacity planning needed

Secure

• DDoS protection via CloudFront
• WAF integration available
• Automatic SSL/TLS certificates

Deployment Steps

1. Build Your Next.js App

npm run build

This generates a static export in the out/ directory.

2. Deploy Infrastructure with CDK

const website = new BlogWebsiteConstruct(this, 'Website', {
  stage: 'prod',
  domainName: 'yourdomain.com',
  apiUrl: api.apiUrl,
});

3. Upload to S3

aws s3 sync out/ s3://your-bucket-name/

4. Invalidate CloudFront Cache

aws cloudfront create-invalidation \
  --distribution-id YOUR_DIST_ID \
  --paths "/*"

Best Practices

1. Use Static Generation - Pre-render pages at build time
2. Optimize Images - Use Next.js Image component
3. Enable Caching - Set appropriate cache headers
4. Monitor Costs - Set up billing alerts
5. Automate Deployments - Use GitHub Actions or similar

Conclusion

This architecture provides a robust, scalable, and cost-effective way to deploy Next.js applications. The serverless approach means you can focus on building features rather than managing infrastructure.

Happy deploying!