Nextjs Link Component And Client Side Navigation Complete Guide

Last Update:2025-06-22T00:00:00 .NET School AI Teacher - SELECT ANY TEXT TO EXPLANATION. 8 mins read Difficulty-Level: beginner

Understanding the Core Concepts of Nextjs Link Component and Client side Navigation

Next.js Link Component and Client-side Navigation

What is the Link Component?

In traditional React applications, you would typically navigate between pages using an anchor tag (<a>). However, doing so triggers a full page refresh, which can degrade user experience and increase load times. The Link component in Next.js was designed to address this problem by enabling client-side navigation using the <Link> wrapper rather than the plain <a> tag.

How Does It Work?

The Link component optimizes page loading by pre-fetching the JavaScript code required for the linked page during idle time when users mouse-over or touch the link. This ensures that the page loads much faster upon actual clicking compared to a standard anchor tag link which results in a new page request.

import Link from 'next/link';

// Usage of Link component
function Home() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome to our homepage</h1>
      <Link href="/about">Go to About Page</Link>
    </div>
  );
}

When the above Link component is hovered or touched, the /about page's code begins pre-fetching. Upon clicking the link, since the code has already been loaded, it's much faster to transition to the /about page.

Key Features of the Link Component

Pre-fetching: Automatically pre-fetches the JavaScript necessary for rendering the destination page, significantly improving performance.
Code Splitting: Ensures that only the JavaScript for the current page is loaded, reducing initial load times.
Shallow Routing: Allows you to update the URL without running getInitialProps. This saves on fetching data unnecessarily when the route changes.

<Link shallow href="/about">Go to About Page</Link>

Replacing URL History: By default, navigating through the Link component adds a new item to the history stack. Use replace prop if you want to replace the existing history entry instead.

<Link replace href="/contact">Contact us</Link>

Passing State Programmatically: You can pass additional state to router.replace or router.push.

<Link
  href={{
    pathname: '/profile/[id]',
    query: { id: 101 },
  }}
  as='/profile/101'>
  Profile
</Link>

Here, the actual path will be /profile/101, but the query {id: 101} will remain hidden. It's useful for SEO and cleaner URLs.

Using Router Object: You can manually invoke client-side navigation using the Router object.

import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

function HomePage() {
  const router = useRouter();

  function handleClick() {
    router.push('/about');
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={handleClick}>Learn More</button>
    </div>
  );
}

The useRouter hook provides access to the router context inside functional components, allowing you to handle routing programmatically.

Benefits of Client-side Navigation

Improved User Experience: Faster page transitions enhance the overall user satisfaction.
Reduced Load Times: Only loads the necessary JavaScript, decreasing the initial load times.
Better SEO: Can still be used to generate dynamic and clean URLs that are beneficial for search engine optimization (SEO).

Usage Tips and Best Practices

Pre-fetching Optimization: Consider using the prefetch={false} option in scenarios where you don't want to pre-fetch certain links.

<Link prefetch={false} href="/services">Our Services</Link>

Styling Links: Since the Link component doesn’t natively apply focus and hover states like anchor tags, wrap the <a> tag inside Link or use the className prop to style the links properly.

<Link href="/about">
  <a className="custom-link">About Us</a>
</Link>

<Link href="/about" className="custom-link">About Us</Link>

Avoid Hardcoding Paths: Use dynamic routing and props to avoid hardcoding routes in your application, making it more scalable and maintainable.

Conclusion

The Link component in Next.js plays a pivotal role in enhancing the performance and user experience by facilitating client-side navigation. Leveraging pre-fetching and other features, developers can provide smooth transitions between pages while keeping the load times minimal. Understanding and correctly utilizing the Link component and client-side navigation is crucial for building high-performing web applications with Next.js.

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Step-by-Step Guide: How to Implement Nextjs Link Component and Client side Navigation

What is Next.js Link Component?

The Link component in Next.js enables you to navigate between different routes in your application in a declarative way. It prefetches pages for faster navigation and provides a way to pass URL state via href.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Setting Up Your Next.js Application

First, ensure that you have set up a Next.js application. If not, you can do so using:

npx create-next-app@latest my-app
cd my-app
npm run dev

This will create and start a new Next.js app named my-app.

2. Creating Multiple Pages

Create at least two pages in your Next.js app to demonstrate navigation. Typically, these are placed inside the pages directory.

Inside the pages folder:

Create a file about.js for the /about page.
Create a file index.js (it already exists) for the homepage.

pages/index.js

import Head from 'next/head';
import Link from 'next/link';

export default function Home() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Head>
        <title>Home Page</title>
      </Head>
      <h1>Welcome to the Home Page</h1>
      <Link href="/about">
        <a>About Us</a>
      </Link>
    </div>
  );
}

pages/about.js

import Head from 'next/head';
import Link from 'next/link';

export default function About() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Head>
        <title>About Page</title>
      </Head>
      <h1>About Us</h1>
      <p>This is the about page.</p>
      <Link href="/">
        <a>Go Back Home</a>
      </Link>
    </div>
  );
}

In this example:

In pages/index.js, there’s a link to the /about page.
In pages/about.js, there’s a link back to the home page (/).

3. Understanding The Basic Structure of the Link Component

The basic structure of the Link component looks like this:

<Link href="destination-page-url">
  <a>Link Title</a>
</Link>

href: This specifies the destination route for the Link.
<a>: This is the HTML anchor element whose click event triggers the navigation to the href destination.

4. Using Dynamic Links With Query Parameters

You can also pass query parameters with the Link component. Here’s how you can do it:

pages/index.js

import Head from 'next/head';
import Link from 'next/link';

export default function Home() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Head>
        <title>Home Page</title>
      </Head>
      <h1>Welcome to the Home Page</h1>
      <Link href={{ pathname: '/about', query: { id: 123 } }}>
        <a>About Us (with query)</a>
      </Link>
    </div>
  );
}

pages/about.js

import Head from 'next/head';
import Link from 'next/link';
import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

export default function About() {
  const router = useRouter();
  const { id } = router.query;

  return (
    <div>
      <Head>
        <title>About Page</title>
      </Head>
      <h1>About Us</h1>
      <p>This is the about page.</p>
      {id ? <p>The ID parameter passed is {id}</p> : null}
      <Link href="/">
        <a>Go Back Home</a>
      </Link>
    </div>
  );
}

Here, we’re passing an id as a query parameter from the home page to the about page. On the about page, we retrieve and display this parameter using useRouter from Next.js.

5. Styling Links

You can style the links just like any other anchor tag. For example:

// styles/Home.module.css
.nav-link {
  color: blue;
  text-decoration: none;
}

.nav-link:hover {
  text-decoration: underline;
}

// pages/index.js
import Head from 'next/head';
import Link from 'next/link';
import styles from '../styles/Home.module.css';

export default function Home() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Head>
        <title>Home Page</title>
      </Head>
      <h1>Welcome to the Home Page</h1>
      <Link href="/about">
        <a className={styles.navLink}>About Us</a>
      </Link>
    </div>
  );
}

The about link now has some basic styling applied to it.

6. Handling Programmatic Navigation

Sometimes you might want to navigate programmatically based on some action. You can do this using the useRouter hook.

pages/index.js

import Head from 'next/head';
import Router from 'next/router';

export default function Home() {
  const handleNavigation = () => {
    Router.push('/about');
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <Head>
        <title>Home Page</title>
      </Head>
      <h1>Welcome to the Home Page</h1>
      <button onClick={handleNavigation}>Go to About Page</button>
      <Link href="/about">
        <a>Go to About Page via Link</a>
      </Link>
    </div>
  );
}

In this file:

Router.push('/about') is used to navigate to the '/about' page when the button is clicked.
An additional Link component is provided to show the traditional method of navigation.

Summary

In this tutorial, you learned:

How to set up a basic Next.js application.
How to use the Link component to enable client-side navigation between pages.
How to pass query parameters dynamically through the Link component and read them using useRouter.
How to apply simple CSS styling to links.
How to programmatically navigate to another route using the useRouter hook.

Top 10 Interview Questions & Answers on Nextjs Link Component and Client side Navigation

Top 10 Questions and Answers on Next.js Link Component and Client-Side Navigation

1. What is the purpose of the `Link` component in Next.js?

2. How does the `Link` component differ from a standard HTML anchor (`<a>`) tag?

Answer: While the standard <a> tag causes a full page reload when clicked, the Link component facilitates client-side navigation. When using the Link component, Next.js controls the routing and renders the target page on the client without refreshing the page, which results in faster transitions.

3. Can the `Link` component be used with dynamic routes in Next.js?

Answer: Yes, the Link component can be used with dynamic routes. You can pass route parameters through the href prop. For example, to navigate to a dynamic route like /posts/[id], you can use:

import Link from 'next/link';

<Link href="/posts/[id]" as="/posts/123">
  <a>Go to Post 123</a>
</Link>

However, the as prop is older and its usage is deprecated. In newer versions, it's recommended to use:

<Link href={{ pathname: '/posts/[id]', query: { id: 123 } }}>
  <a>Go to Post 123</a>
</Link>

4. What is the benefit of using `prefetch` in the `Link` component?

Answer: The prefetch prop in the Link component is used to prefetch the page specified in the href attribute when the mouse hovers over the link. This improves performance as the page is preloaded in the background, making it ready to display as soon as the user clicks the link.

5. Is there any difference between server-side routing and client-side routing in Next.js?

Answer: Yes, there is a difference. Server-side routing involves fetching and rendering pages on the server for every request, which can be slower. Client-side routing, facilitated by components like Link, involves fetching only the necessary data to update the UI, resulting in faster transitions and a smoother user experience after the initial page load.

6. How can you implement shallow routing in Next.js?

Answer: Shallow routing allows you to change the URL without running data fetching methods again. This is useful for updating the URL based on user interactions without refetching data. Shallow routing can be achieved by setting shallow: true in the router.push method or by passing it to the Link component:

import Link from 'next/link';

<Link shallow href="/profile?sort=asc">
  <a>Sort Ascending</a>
</Link>

7. Can you use `Link` with an image tag?

Answer: The Link component can be used to wrap any type of component, including an <img> tag. Here’s an example:

import Link from 'next/link';

<Link href="/about">
  <img src="/logo.png" alt="Logo" />
</Link>

8. What is the purpose of the `as` prop in the `Link` component?

Answer: The as prop in the Link component is used to mask the URL on the browser's address bar while still serving the correct page from the server. This is particularly useful for cleaning up dynamic URLs and making them more readable. However, as mentioned earlier, using href with objects is now the recommended approach.

9. How can you handle URL changes manually in Next.js?

Answer: To handle URL changes programmatically, you can use the useRouter hook provided by Next.js. Here’s an example:

import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

function MyComponent() {
  const router = useRouter();

  const handleClick = () => {
    router.push('/about');
  };

  return (
    <button onClick={handleClick}>Go to About Page</button>
  );
}

10. What is the difference between `router.push` and `router.replace`?

Answer: router.push is used to navigate to a new page and adds a new entry to the history stack (similar to a standard link click). On the other hand, router.replace navigates to a new page but does not add a new entry to the history stack, meaning that pressing the back button does not take the user to the previous page visited with router.replace.

Nextjs Link Component And Client Side Navigation Complete Guide