Setting Up a Next.js Blog: Navigating Initial Git & Deployment Hurdles
August 12, 2025 development notes Next.js Git Deployment Troubleshooting
Setting up a new Next.js blog can be an exciting journey, but it often comes with its own set of initial hurdles, especially concerning Git repository management and deployment. This post outlines some common challenges encountered during the initial setup phase and how to navigate them.
The node_modules Dilemma and .gitignore
One of the most frequent issues developers face is accidentally committing the node_modules directory to their Git repository. This directory contains all project dependencies and can be extremely large, often exceeding GitHub's file size limits.
Problem: Large node_modules folders being tracked by Git, leading to push failures.
Solution: Ensure your .gitignore file is correctly configured to exclude node_modules. A typical .gitignore for a Next.js project should include /node_modules.
Common Pitfall: If node_modules was committed before being added to .gitignore, simply adding it to .gitignore won't untrack it from the repository's history. You'll need to unstage the files using git restore --staged node_modules (or git rm --cached -r node_modules if already committed) and then ensure .gitignore is in place.
Advanced Tip: For repositories with a long history of large files, tools like git filter-branch might be necessary to completely rewrite the history and remove large blobs. However, this is a drastic measure and should be used with extreme caution and after backing up your repository.
The .gitignore Location Matters
Another subtle issue can arise with the placement of your .gitignore file, especially in monorepos or projects with nested structures. If your .gitignore is in a subdirectory, it might not apply to files in parent directories.
Problem: .gitignore in a sub-directory not ignoring files in the root or other parent directories.
Solution: Place a .gitignore file at the root of your Git repository to ensure global exclusion rules are applied. If you have specific exclusions for sub-projects, you can place additional .gitignore files within those subdirectories.
These initial Git and .gitignore challenges, you can lay a solid foundation for your Next.js project and avoid frustrating deployment failures down the line.