Next.js Server Actions

Quick Reference

When to Use This Skill

Use for server-side mutations:

• Form submissions without API routes
• Database mutations (create, update, delete)
• File uploads to server
• Implementing optimistic updates
• Form validation with error display

Related skills:

• For data fetching: see nextjs-data-fetching
• For caching/​revalidation: see nextjs-caching
• For authentication in actions: see nextjs-authentication

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Next.js Server Actions

Defining Server Actions

Inline Server Action

// app/​posts/​page.tsx
export default function PostsPage() {
  async function createPost(formData: FormData) {
    'use server';

    const title = formData.get('title') as string;
    const content = formData.get('content') as string;

    await db.posts.create({
      data: { title, content },
    });

    revalidatePath('/​posts');
  }

  return (
    <form action={createPost}>
      <input name="title" placeholder="Title" required />
      <textarea name="content" placeholder="Content" required />
      <button type="submit">Create Post</​button>
    </​form>
  );
}

Separate Actions File

// app/​actions.ts
'use server';

import { revalidatePath, revalidateTag } from 'next/​cache';
import { redirect } from 'next/​navigation';
import { z } from 'zod';

const PostSchema = z.object({
  title: z.string().min(1, 'Title is required').max(100),
  content: z.string().min(1, 'Content is required'),
});

export async function createPost(formData: FormData) {
  const validatedFields = PostSchema.safeParse({
    title: formData.get('title'),
    content: formData.get('content'),
  });

  if (!validatedFields.success) {
    return {
      errors: validatedFields.error.flatten().fieldErrors,
    };
  }

  try {
    await db.posts.create({
      data: validatedFields.data,
    });
  } catch (error) {
    return { error: 'Failed to create post' };
  }

  revalidatePath('/​posts');
  redirect('/​posts');
}

export async function deletePost(id: string) {
  await db.posts.delete({ where: { id } });
  revalidateTag('posts');
}

export async function updatePost(id: string, formData: FormData) {
  const title = formData.get('title') as string;
  const content = formData.get('content') as string;

  await db.posts.update({
    where: { id },
    data: { title, content },
  });

  revalidatePath(`/​posts/​${id}`);
  return { success: true };
}

Using Server Actions in Forms

Basic Form

// app/​contact/​page.tsx
import { submitContact } from './​actions';

export default function ContactPage() {
  return (
    <form action={submitContact}>
      <input name="name" placeholder="Name" required />
      <input name="email" type="email" placeholder="Email" required />
      <textarea name="message" placeholder="Message" required />
      <button type="submit">Send</​button>
    </​form>
  );
}

Form with useActionState

// app/​signup/​page.tsx
'use client';

import { useActionState } from 'react';
import { signup } from './​actions';

const initialState = {
  errors: {} as Record<string, string[]>,
  message: '',
};

export default function SignupPage() {
  const [state, formAction, isPending] = useActionState(signup, initialState);

  return (
    <form action={formAction}>
      <div>
        <input name="email" type="email" placeholder="Email" />
        {state.errors?.email && (
          <p className="error">{state.errors.email[0]}</​p>
        )}
      </​div>

      <div>
        <input name="password" type="password" placeholder="Password" />
        {state.errors?.password && (
          <p className="error">{state.errors.password[0]}</​p>
        )}
      </​div>

      {state.message && <p className="message">{state.message}</​p>}

      <button type="submit" disabled={isPending}>
        {isPending ? 'Signing up...' : 'Sign Up'}
      </​button>
    </​form>
  );
}

// app/​signup/​actions.ts
'use server';

import { z } from 'zod';

const SignupSchema = z.object({
  email: z.string().email('Invalid email'),
  password: z.string().min(8, 'Password must be at least 8 characters'),
});

export async function signup(prevState: any, formData: FormData) {
  const validatedFields = SignupSchema.safeParse({
    email: formData.get('email'),
    password: formData.get('password'),
  });

  if (!validatedFields.success) {
    return {
      errors: validatedFields.error.flatten().fieldErrors,
      message: '',
    };
  }

  try {
    await createUser(validatedFields.data);
    return { errors: {}, message: 'Account created successfully!' };
  } catch (error) {
    return { errors: {}, message: 'Failed to create account' };
  }
}

useFormStatus for Pending State

// components/​SubmitButton.tsx
'use client';

import { useFormStatus } from 'react-dom';

export function SubmitButton({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  const { pending } = useFormStatus();

  return (
    <button type="submit" disabled={pending}>
      {pending ? 'Submitting...' : children}
    </​button>
  );
}

// Usage in form
import { SubmitButton } from '@/​components/​SubmitButton';

export default function Form() {
  return (
    <form action={submitForm}>
      <input name="title" />
      <SubmitButton>Submit</​SubmitButton>
    </​form>
  );
}

Optimistic Updates

useOptimistic Hook

// app/​posts/[id]/​comments.tsx
'use client';

import { useOptimistic, useTransition } from 'react';
import { addComment } from './​actions';

interface Comment {
  id: string;
  text: string;
  pending?: boolean;
}

export function Comments({ initialComments }: { initialComments: Comment[] }) {
  const [isPending, startTransition] = useTransition();
  const [optimisticComments, addOptimisticComment] = useOptimistic(
    initialComments,
    (state, newComment: Comment) => [...state, { ...newComment, pending: true }]
  );

  async function handleSubmit(formData: FormData) {
    const text = formData.get('text') as string;

    startTransition(async () => {
      addOptimisticComment({
        id: `temp-${Date.now()}`,
        text,
      });

      await addComment(formData);
    });
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <ul>
        {optimisticComments.map((comment) => (
          <li
            key={comment.id}
            style={{ opacity: comment.pending ? 0.5 : 1 }}
          >
            {comment.text}
            {comment.pending && ' (posting...)'}
          </​li>
        ))}
      </​ul>

      <form action={handleSubmit}>
        <input name="text" placeholder="Add comment" required />
        <button type="submit" disabled={isPending}>
          Add
        </​button>
      </​form>
    </​div>
  );
}

Optimistic Like Button

// components/​LikeButton.tsx
'use client';

import { useOptimistic, useTransition } from 'react';
import { toggleLike } from '@/​app/​actions';

interface LikeButtonProps {
  postId: string;
  initialLiked: boolean;
  initialCount: number;
}

export function LikeButton({
  postId,
  initialLiked,
  initialCount,
}: LikeButtonProps) {
  const [isPending, startTransition] = useTransition();
  const [optimistic, setOptimistic] = useOptimistic(
    { liked: initialLiked, count: initialCount },
    (state, liked: boolean) => ({
      liked,
      count: liked ? state.count + 1 : state.count - 1,
    })
  );

  const handleClick = () => {
    startTransition(async () => {
      setOptimistic(!optimistic.liked);
      await toggleLike(postId);
    });
  };

  return (
    <button onClick={handleClick} disabled={isPending}>
      {optimistic.liked ? '❤️' : '🤍'} {optimistic.count}
    </​button>
  );
}

Bound Arguments

Passing Arguments with bind

// components/​DeleteButton.tsx
'use client';

import { deletePost } from '@/​app/​actions';

export function DeleteButton({ postId }: { postId: string }) {
  const deletePostWithId = deletePost.bind(null, postId);

  return (
    <form action={deletePostWithId}>
      <button type="submit">Delete</​button>
    </​form>
  );
}

// app/​actions.ts
'use server';

export async function deletePost(postId: string, formData: FormData) {
  await db.posts.delete({ where: { id: postId } });
  revalidatePath('/​posts');
}

Hidden Input Alternative

// components/​EditForm.tsx
export function EditForm({ post }: { post: Post }) {
  return (
    <form action={updatePost}>
      <input type="hidden" name="id" value={post.id} />
      <input name="title" defaultValue={post.title} />
      <textarea name="content" defaultValue={post.content} />
      <button type="submit">Update</​button>
    </​form>
  );
}

Non-Form Invocation

Button Click

// components/​LogoutButton.tsx
'use client';

import { logout } from '@/​app/​actions';

export function LogoutButton() {
  return (
    <button onClick={() => logout()}>
      Log Out
    </​button>
  );
}

Event Handler

// components/​TodoItem.tsx
'use client';

import { toggleTodo, deleteTodo } from '@/​app/​actions';

export function TodoItem({ todo }: { todo: Todo }) {
  return (
    <li>
      <input
        type="checkbox"
        checked={todo.completed}
        onChange={() => toggleTodo(todo.id)}
      />
      <span>{todo.title}</​span>
      <button onClick={() => deleteTodo(todo.id)}>Delete</​button>
    </​li>
  );
}

Validation

Zod Schema Validation

// app/​actions.ts
'use server';

import { z } from 'zod';

const CreateUserSchema = z.object({
  name: z.string().min(2, 'Name must be at least 2 characters'),
  email: z.string().email('Invalid email address'),
  age: z.coerce.number().min(18, 'Must be at least 18 years old'),
});

export type CreateUserState = {
  errors?: {
    name?: string[];
    email?: string[];
    age?: string[];
  };
  message?: string;
};

export async function createUser(
  prevState: CreateUserState,
  formData: FormData
): Promise<CreateUserState> {
  const validatedFields = CreateUserSchema.safeParse({
    name: formData.get('name'),
    email: formData.get('email'),
    age: formData.get('age'),
  });

  if (!validatedFields.success) {
    return {
      errors: validatedFields.error.flatten().fieldErrors,
    };
  }

  try {
    await db.users.create({ data: validatedFields.data });
    return { message: 'User created successfully!' };
  } catch (error) {
    return { message: 'Database error: Failed to create user.' };
  }
}

Authorization

Checking User Permissions

// app/​actions.ts
'use server';

import { auth } from '@/​lib/​auth';
import { forbidden, unauthorized } from 'next/​navigation';

export async function deletePost(postId: string) {
  const session = await auth();

  if (!session) {
    unauthorized();
  }

  const post = await db.posts.findUnique({ where: { id: postId } });

  if (post?.authorId !== session.user.id && session.user.role !== 'admin') {
    forbidden();
  }

  await db.posts.delete({ where: { id: postId } });
  revalidatePath('/​posts');
}

Role-Based Access

// app/​actions.ts
'use server';

import { auth } from '@/​lib/​auth';

export async function updateSettings(formData: FormData) {
  const session = await auth();

  if (!session) {
    return { error: 'Not authenticated' };
  }

  if (session.user.role !== 'admin') {
    return { error: 'Not authorized' };
  }

  // Update settings
  await updateSystemSettings(formData);

  revalidatePath('/​settings');
  return { success: true };
}

Error Handling

Try-Catch Pattern

// app/​actions.ts
'use server';

export async function createPost(formData: FormData) {
  try {
    const title = formData.get('title') as string;
    const content = formData.get('content') as string;

    await db.posts.create({ data: { title, content } });

    revalidatePath('/​posts');
    return { success: true };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to create post:', error);
    return { error: 'Failed to create post. Please try again.' };
  }
}

Redirect After Action

// app/​actions.ts
'use server';

import { redirect } from 'next/​navigation';

export async function createPost(formData: FormData) {
  const post = await db.posts.create({
    data: {
      title: formData.get('title') as string,
      content: formData.get('content') as string,
    },
  });

  revalidatePath('/​posts');
  redirect(`/​posts/​${post.slug}`);
}

File Uploads

Basic File Upload

// app/​upload/​page.tsx
import { uploadFile } from './​actions';

export default function UploadPage() {
  return (
    <form action={uploadFile}>
      <input type="file" name="file" accept="image/​*" required />
      <button type="submit">Upload</​button>
    </​form>
  );
}

// app/​upload/​actions.ts
'use server';

import { writeFile } from 'fs/​promises';
import { join } from 'path';

export async function uploadFile(formData: FormData) {
  const file = formData.get('file') as File;

  if (!file || file.size === 0) {
    return { error: 'No file provided' };
  }

  const bytes = await file.arrayBuffer();
  const buffer = Buffer.from(bytes);

  const filename = `${Date.now()}-${file.name}`;
  const path = join(process.cwd(), 'public/​uploads', filename);

  await writeFile(path, buffer);

  return { success: true, path: `/​uploads/​${filename}` };
}

Best Practices