how to get current url in nextjs without using window.location.href or react router

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05-10-2024

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Navigating Next.js URLs Without window.location.href or React Router

Next.js offers a powerful framework for building server-side rendered React applications. While you can use window.location.href and React Router to manage URLs, Next.js provides its own robust and efficient mechanisms for handling routing and fetching current URLs, especially when it comes to server-side rendering.

Why Avoid window.location.href and React Router?

In a Next.js application, directly accessing window.location.href can lead to unexpected behaviors. This is because Next.js uses a different approach for handling routing, primarily through its built-in router and server-side rendering.

• Server-side Rendering: With SSR, the server generates the initial HTML, which means that window.location.href might not be available immediately on the client side.
• Performance: Using React Router on top of Next.js can sometimes be overkill and potentially lead to performance bottlenecks. Next.js already has a robust router built-in.

Let's Explore the Next.js Approach

Next.js offers two main ways to access the current URL without resorting to window.location.href or external routing libraries:

1. Using the router object:

Next.js provides a built-in router object within your components that exposes various useful methods and properties, including:

import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

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

  // Access the current pathname
  const currentPathname = router.pathname;

  // Access the current query parameters
  const currentQuery = router.query;

  // Access the full URL
  const currentUrl = `${router.pathname}${router.query ? `?${router.query}` : ''}`;

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Current Pathname: {currentPathname}</p>
      <p>Current Query: {JSON.stringify(currentQuery)}</p>
      <p>Current URL: {currentUrl}</p>
    </div>
  );
};

2. Using the useRouter hook:

The useRouter hook is a more convenient way to access the router object. It's a React hook that allows you to access the router instance directly within your components.

import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

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

  // ... your component logic here ...

  return (
    <div>
      {/* Use router object as needed */}
    </div>
  );
};

Advantages of the Next.js Approach:

• Server-side compatibility: Next.js handles routing both on the server and client, so you can access the URL reliably in all scenarios.
• Optimized performance: The built-in router is tailored for Next.js, minimizing overhead and providing optimal performance.
• Easier to maintain: No need to manage external libraries or configurations.

Example Usage:

Let's imagine you need to display the current URL in a website header. You can achieve this using the useRouter hook:

import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

const Header = () => {
  const router = useRouter();

  return (
    <header>
      <h1>My Website</h1>
      <p>You are currently on: {router.pathname}</p>
    </header>
  );
};

export default Header;

Additional Insights:

• Dynamic Routing: Next.js supports dynamic routing, allowing you to define URL patterns with parameters. You can access these parameters using router.query.
• Navigation: The router object provides methods like push and replace to navigate between different pages.

Conclusion:

Next.js provides a sophisticated and efficient approach for managing routing and accessing URLs. By leveraging the router object or the useRouter hook, you can easily retrieve the current URL without relying on window.location.href or external libraries. This ensures optimal performance, server-side compatibility, and a streamlined development experience.