Starting a new project in Next.js can feel exciting — until you realize your codebase looks like a junk drawer after a few weeks. Files everywhere, imports breaking, and no clue where that one utility function lives.
That’s when structure starts to matter.
A well-organized project improves readability, maintainability, and scalability. It’s not about following the “one true” pattern — it’s about building something you can scale and actually enjoy maintaining.
Project Overview
Here’s the folder layout I use in most of my Next.js projects that rely on the App Router:
my-nextjs-app/
├── app/
├── components/
├── styles/
├── lib/
├── hooks/
├── types/It’s simple, predictable, and keeps logic, UI, and utilities separated in a way that grows gracefully with the app.
Folder Breakdown
app/
The core of the application. Each folder inside app/ represents a route segment, following the App Router’s file-based routing system. This is where your pages, layouts, and route-level logic live — the spine of your app.
components/
A home for reusable UI elements — buttons, modals, cards, inputs, and anything you might reuse across pages. If you ever find yourself copying JSX from one file to another, that code belongs here.
lib/
This folder holds all helper functions and utilities: data fetching, API wrappers, and reusable logic that shouldn’t live directly in components. It’s your app’s toolbox — everything functional but not visual.
hooks/
Contains all your custom React hooks — for example, authentication state, form handling, or API interactions. Keeping hooks organized in one place helps maintain consistency and keeps logic reusable across your components.
types/
A centralized space for TypeScript definitions. Instead of defining interfaces or types in random files, put them here. This ensures shared data structures stay consistent across your project, and it makes refactoring far less painful.
styles/
All your global and modular styles live here.
Why Structure Matters
A clean structure doesn’t just make your repo look good — it keeps your mental load low. When you know exactly where everything lives, adding new features becomes easier and onboarding new developers becomes painless.
There’s no single “perfect” structure for a Next.js app. The key is consistency. Whatever structure you choose, stick with it. A messy file tree might not crash your app, but it’ll slowly drain your energy every time you open the editor.
Final Thought
The best structure is the one that grows with your project, not against it. Keep it simple. Keep it consistent. And make sure future-you doesn’t hate present-you when debugging six months from now.