Docker and Self-Hosting

You can deploy Next.js anywhere that supports Node.js.

Standalone Build

Enable the standalone output mode:

javascript
// next.config.js
module.exports = {
  output: 'standalone',
};

This creates a minimal production bundle at .next/standalone.

Dockerfile

dockerfile
FROM node:18-alpine AS base

FROM base AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN npm ci
RUN npm run build

FROM base AS runner
WORKDIR /app
ENV NODE_ENV=production
COPY --from=builder /app/.next/standalone ./
COPY --from=builder /app/.next/static ./.next/static
COPY --from=builder /app/public ./public

EXPOSE 3000
ENV PORT 3000
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Running Without Docker

bash
npm run build
npm run start

This starts the Next.js production server on port 3000.

Static Export

For purely static sites:

javascript
// next.config.js
module.exports = {
  output: 'export',
};

This generates an out/ directory with static HTML.