why I can't delete .next folder in nextjs project

Question

I run my nextjs project by

npm run dev

NOT

npm run build

but it automatically creates the .next folder. and later I tried to delete that folder, but it automatically generated again. why??

I don't expect to generate the .next folder by this command:

npm run dev

Wight

Because thats how nextjs works, both build and dev commands generates (SSR stuff and other) files which will be stored in same .next directory but file contents will be different. – Scipio

You can also add the directory to your .gitignore file if you don't want to track it – Rind

So what is the problem? don't delete it. it is because next works like this. – Venepuncture

Answer 1

You are running your project with

npm run dev

Once the project is launched, .next folder will be created to store page cache and some features to speed up your project. While project running, some files will be added to .next folder during your dev usage. If you delete you .next folder during usage, you will have errors on the pages - you should restart your npm run dev

Rayshell

Exactly what I needed, the bit about need to restart with npm run dev after deleting. Muchas gracias! – Searching

Answer 2

You can delete .next folder and when you do npm run dev again, it will recreate it

Guilbert

Answer 3

Its because every time you are running these commands " NPM RUN DEV" you are creating a .next folder inside your project by which your project will run in your browser. you need to look for the documentation how these "npm run build" and "npm run dev" works and what happens behind the scene.

Lam

Answer 4

The .next folder is automatically created by Next.js when you run npm run dev because this command triggers the development mode of your Next.js application, and part of the development process involves compiling the project. This folder is essential for storing compiled files, cache, and other necessary build assets that are needed to serve your application in the browser.

Ashlieashlin