The modern web runs on Next.js. Most Next.js agencies run on junior developers.
Next.js is the production standard for web applications — React Server Components, App Router, server-side rendering, and edge deployment are the features that make it the right choice for performance-critical applications. Getting those features right requires production experience. RCB Software is a one-person Next.js development operation with 40+ shipped applications. Fixed scope, fixed price.
You need a Next.js expert — not an agency that puts a senior developer on your sales call and a junior developer on your project.
Next.js as a framework has a steep quality distribution: it's possible to ship a working Next.js application by following the quickstart without understanding why the architectural decisions are being made. Page Router vs App Router — the difference in mental model is significant enough that a developer who learned Next.js on Page Router and has technically migrated to App Router but hasn't internalised the Server Component model will produce an App Router application with every component marked "use client", which gives you a React SPA with file-based routing — not the RSC architecture that makes App Router worth using.
The App Router patterns that require real experience to implement correctly: Server Component data fetching (fetch with cache: 'force-cache' vs cache: 'no-store' vs revalidate: N — the caching model is genuinely complex and the defaults have changed across Next.js versions); Client Component boundary placement (the minimum client surface that accesses browser APIs or interactive state); streaming and Suspense boundaries for progressive page loading; Server Actions for mutations that don't need a separate API route; Middleware for edge-computed authentication; and the Route Handlers that replace the Pages Router API routes with a slightly different request/response model.
Deployment configuration also matters: Vercel's ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) configuration, Edge Runtime vs Node.js Runtime selection for different route types, and the bundle size analysis that identifies client-side JavaScript that should be server-rendered.
A production Next.js application built by a developer who has shipped 40+ Next.js applications — with the App Router patterns, performance optimisations, and deployment configuration that production demands.
App Router with RSC-first architecture
Component tree designed with Server Components as the default. Client Components introduced only where browser APIs (useState, useEffect, event handlers, third-party browser SDKs) are required. Data fetching in Server Components — direct database or API calls without an API layer where the security model allows it.
TypeScript strict mode
Next.js with TypeScript strict mode, type-safe route parameters (using next/navigation types), type-safe environment variables (validated with Zod at startup), and server action type safety.
Performance optimisation
next/image for all images — responsive sizes, lazy loading, WebP conversion. next/font for self-hosted fonts with zero layout shift. Bundle analysis to identify unnecessary client-side dependencies. Lighthouse score targeting 90+ across all Core Web Vitals.
Authentication with Clerk
Clerk's Next.js SDK with App Router-compatible auth() helper in Server Components, middleware.ts for route protection, and ClerkProvider at the root layout. Multi-tenant Organisations for SaaS products.
Vercel deployment
Preview deployments for every pull request. Production deployment with rollback capability. Edge middleware for geographic routing or A/B testing where needed.
One honest number to start.
Fixed-scope, fixed-price. The number below is the starting point — final scope is built from your brief.
A production Next.js application built by a developer who has shipped 40+ Next.js applications — with the App Router patterns, performance optimisations, and deployment configuration that production demands.
Three steps, every time.
The same repeatable engagement on every project. No surprises, no mystery, no billable ambiguity.
Brief & discovery.
We send you questions, then get on a call. Output: a written scope with every step, feature, and integration listed.
Build & ship.
Fixed schedule, weekly reviews. No scope creep unless you change the scope — and if you do, we reprice it transparently.
Warranty & retainer.
30-day warranty on every launch. Most clients stay on a monthly retainer for ongoing features and maintenance.
Why Fixed-Price Matters Here
A Next.js application has a defined feature set. Fixed scope, fixed price with the App Router architecture and TypeScript standards as part of the baseline.
Related engagements.
Questions, answered.
App Router for all new projects. The Pages Router is in maintenance mode and won't receive new features. App Router's Server Component model is the direction Next.js is moving — all new features (Server Actions, Partial Prerendering) are App Router-only. For existing Pages Router applications, migration to App Router is a scoped addition.
Middleware runs on the Edge Runtime (Vercel's V8-based edge environment) — it can't use Node.js-specific APIs (fs, crypto, etc.). Route Handlers can optionally use the Edge Runtime for low-latency responses but default to the Node.js runtime, which supports the full Node.js API. The runtime selection is made per-route based on the API dependencies.
PostgreSQL via Neon (serverless Postgres) is the standard choice for Next.js applications on Vercel — Neon's serverless connection pooling works correctly with Vercel's serverless function model, which doesn't maintain persistent database connections. Drizzle ORM for type-safe queries.
A production Next.js application with Clerk auth, core features, and Vercel deployment typically runs $25k–$65k. The specific scope determines the price. Fixed-price.
8 to 14 weeks from specification to production.
Tell Ryel about your project.
Describe what you’re building and what outcome you need. You’ll have a written, fixed-price scope within the week.