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Next.js Storefront Quickstart

This document guides you to install and set up the Next.js Starter Storefront.

Next.js Storefront Demo

Instant Deployment to Vercel​

Instead of manually following this guide to install then later deploy the Next.js Storefront, you can deploy the Next.js Storefront to Vercel with this button:

Deploy with Vercel

Prerequisites​

This document assumes you already have a Medusa backend installed. If you don’t, please follow the Quickstart guide for the Medusa backend to learn how to do it.

You should also have Node.js with v16 or greater installed. You can check your Node.js version with the following command:

node -v

You can install Node from the official website.

Installation​

1. Create a new Next.js project using the Medusa starter template:

npx create-next-app -e https://github.com/medusajs/nextjs-starter-medusa my-medusa-storefront

2. Change to the newly created directory my-medusa-storefront and rename the template environment variable file to use environment variables in development:

cd my-medusa-storefront
mv .env.template .env.local

3. Make sure the Medusa backend is running, then run the local Next.js server:

npm run dev

Your Next.js storefront is now running at localhost:8000

Did you set up the storefront successfully?

Troubleshooting Installation​

CORS Error

If you are experiencing connection issues when trying to access your Medusa backend from a storefront or the admin dashboard, it is most likely due to Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) issues.

You might see a log in your browser console, that looks like this:

CORS error log

In your medusa-config.js , you should ensure that you've configured your CORS settings correctly. By default, the Medusa starter runs on port 9000, Medusa Admin runs on port 7000, and the storefront starters run on port 8000.

The default configuration uses the following CORS settings:

medusa-config.js
// CORS when consuming Medusa from admin
const ADMIN_CORS = process.env.ADMIN_CORS || 
  "http://localhost:7000,http://localhost:7001"

// CORS to avoid issues when consuming Medusa from a client
const STORE_CORS = 
  process.env.STORE_CORS || "http://localhost:8000"

If you wish to run your storefront or Medusa admin on other ports, you should update the above settings accordingly.

See Also​

Resolve "Cannot find module X" Errors

This error can occur while installing any of Medusa's projects (for example, Next.js storefront). There is no specific cause to this error.

One way to resolve it is by removing the node_modules directory in the project and re-installing the dependencies:

rm -rf node_modules
yarn install

Development Notes​

Toggle Search Engine Feature​

The Next.js storefront by default is compatible with MeiliSearch.

To enable or disable the search engine, change the value of the feature in store.config.json:

{
  "features": {
    "search": false
  }
}

Then, restart your Next.js backend. Depending on whether you enabled or disabled the search engine, the search bar will appear or disappear in the navigation bar accordingly.

MeiliSearch Integration​

If you have the search engine feature enabled, it is expected that you have installed the MeiliSearch plugin on your Medusa backend. If not, follow this guide to install it.

In your Next.js storefront, set the environment variables necessary for the MeiliSearch integration:

NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_ENDPOINT=<YOUR_MEILISEARCH_URL>
NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_API_KEY=<YOUR_API_KEY>
NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_INDEX_NAME=products

<YOUR_MEILISEARCH_URL> is the URL MeiliSearch is running on. The default is http://127.0.0.1:7700.

NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_INDEX_NAME is the index name of the products in MeiliSearch. By default, it’s products.

<YOUR_API_KEY> is the API key used to search through MeiliSearch indexes. To create a new API Key, make sure that the MeiliSearch service is running and send the following request:

curl \
  -X POST '<MEILISEARCH_URL>/keys' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer <MEILISEARCH_MASTER_KEY>' \
  --data-binary '{
    "description": "Search products",
    "actions": ["search"],
    "indexes": ["products"],
    "expiresAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"
  }'

Make sure to replace <MEILISEARCH_URL> with the URL MeiliSearch is running on and <MEILISEARCH_MASTER_KEY> with your MeiliSearch master key.

Then, restart the Next.js backend. You’ll be able to search through available products by clicking the search icon in the navigation bar.

To make sure the Next.js storefront properly displays the products in the search result, include in the displayedAttributes setting of the MeiliSearch plugin on the Medusa backend at least the fields title, handle, description, and thumbnail.

Search Result on Next.js storefront

Algolia Integration​

Instead of using the default MeiliSearch search engine, you can switch to using Algolia. Make sure you start by installing the Algolia plugin on your Medusa backend. You can do it by following this guide.

In your Next.js storefront, set the environment variables necessary for the Algolia integration:

NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_APP_ID=<YOUR_APP_ID>
NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_API_KEY=<YOUR_SEARCH_API_KEY>
NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_INDEX_NAME=products

Where <YOUR_APP_ID> and <YOUR_SEARCH_API_KEY> are the Algolia App ID and Algolia Search API Key respectively. You can retrieve them from Algolia by going to API Keys in your account settings.

NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_INDEX_NAME is the index name of the products in Algolia. By default, it’s products.

Next, change the content of src/lib/search-client.ts to the following:

import algoliasearch from "algoliasearch/lite"

const appId = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_APP_ID || "" // You should add this to your environment variables

const apiKey = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_API_KEY || "test_key"

export const searchClient = algoliasearch(appId, apiKey)

export const SEARCH_INDEX_NAME =
  process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_INDEX_NAME || "products"

Then, restart the Next.js backend. You’ll be able to search through available products by clicking the search icon in the navigation bar.

Search Pop-up in Next.js Storefront

Stripe Payment Integration​

Stripe integration is supported by default. Make sure you have Stripe installed and enabled on your Medusa backend first. You can follow this guide to learn how to install it.

Then, in your Next.js storefront, set the environment variable necessary for the Stripe integration:

NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_KEY=<YOUR_PUBLISHABLE_KEY>

Make sure to replace <YOUR_PUBLISHABLE_KEY> with your Stripe publishable key. It can be retrieved from your Stripe dashboard by going to Developers → API Keys.

If you restart your Next.js backend you should be able to pay with Stripe on checkout.

Pay with Stripe on Checkout

PayPal Payment Integration​

PayPal integration is supported by default. Make sure you have PayPal installed and enabled on your Medusa backend first. You can follow this guide to learn how to install it.

Then, in your Next.js storefront, set the environment variable necessary for the PayPal integration:

NEXT_PUBLIC_PAYPAL_CLIENT_ID=<YOUR_CLIENT_ID>

Make sure to replace <YOUR_CLIENT_ID> with your PayPal client ID. You can retrieve it from the PayPal developer dashboard.

If you restart your Next.js backend you should be able to pay with PayPal on checkout.

Pay with PayPal on Checkout

Customization​

To customize the pages of the storefront, you can customize the files under the src/pages directory.

To customize the components used in the storefront, you can customize the files under the src/modules directory.

To customize the styles of the storefront, you can customize the src/styles directory.

Change Port​

By default, the Next.js storefront runs on port 8000.

To change the port, change the develop command in package.json to the following:

"scripts": {
    //other scripts
    "dev": "next dev -p <PORT>"
}

Make sure to replace <PORT> with the port number you want the storefront to run on. For example, 3000.

Then, on your backend, update the environment variable STORE_CORS to the URL with the new port:

STORE_CORS=http://localhost:<PORT>

Development Resources​

You can learn more about development with Next.js through their documentation.

Storefront Features​

  • View all products and manage your cart.

All Products Page

  • Customer authentication and profiles.

Customer Profile

  • Full checkout workflow.

Checkout Page

See Also​

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