Offline Fallback Handler and Offline Page Support for Next.js

[tarunkumar2005]

Goals

1. The addition of a certain offline fallback handler that can be integrated into Next.js which would automatically detect if a user is offline.
2. A customizable offline page (e.g., offline.tsx) which can be used by developers for the process of setting up user-friendly offline experiences without Service Worker.
3. Providing a way of supporting offline Next.js app developers without unnecessary complications, treating it as equivalent to defining error.tsx or not-found.tsx.

Non-Goals

1. This feature is not supposed to be a substitute for the developers who need the possibility to change the behavior of the Service Worker through their deep knowledge of the offline functionality.
2. The service does not provide the ability to content caching or background sync to support full offline capabilities, the only thing that is achieved is to show the user a fallback page in case he/she is offline.

Background

Offline fallback page is a key element of the user experience in modern web applications which is especially critical to those users whose internet connection is a bit unstable. For example, many websites such as Youtube, lead the users to an offline page that informs them when they are disconnected from the internet and gives them a retry button. This way, users won’t be confused or think the site isn’t working properly until the issue is fixed.

At the moment, offline support in Next.js is limited as developers need to manually set up Service Workers for each of their projects. Service workers, although powerful tools, can sometimes become a tedious task to set up from scratch for developers who only attach a simple offline fallback message. Moreover, the uniformity of offline mode in different projects is hard to be preserved.

The built-in offline handler will make offline support not only more accessible, but it will also be a time-saving feature for developers. At this point in time, major web frameworks could not give the user the streamlined offline mode, if this is realized, Next.js will gain the edge over them.

Proposal

The planned feature would include a built-in offline handler in Next.js, which can detect when a user is offline and display an offline page(like, offline.tsx) that can be personalized, being shown by default. So, this page would be basically like error.tsx or not-found.tsx where we just define the ui of the page and all the things are handled by the next js only. So similarly here we will create a offline.tsx where developer will just design the ui of the offline page and all things like service workers will be handled by the nextjs only.

Key Components:

1. Automatic Offline Detection and Fallback: Next.js would have a Service Worker natively to detect when the device of the user is offline. Service Worker will detect the offline status and the website in Next.js will show the offline.tsx or some other similar offline fallback component.
2. Next.js would use a built-in Service Worker to detect when the user’s device is offline.
3. When offline status is detected, Next.js would display offline.tsx or a similar offline fallback component.
4. Offline Page Customization (offline.tsx): Software engineers develop a specific offline.tsx file that will be the unique model for the project's pages folder. They might display a message along with the styles or perhaps even a Retry button, which users could use for re-establishing a connection, just like the offline feature in YouTube,
5. Developers would define a dedicated offline.tsx file in their project’s pages directory.
6. This will be similar to the files like error.tsx or not-found.tsx which are already there in nextjs.

Why this is needed :

• Currently, a developer would need to set up a custom Service Worker manually to handle offline scenarios. Each time a new project is created, this setup must be repeated, which is labor-intensive and inconsistent for those needing simple offline support.
• By adding this feature, Next.js would offer a seamless, integrated offline experience, especially beneficial for teams or solo developers focused on rapid deployment.

Current Example :

• When a user is offline on YouTube, the platform displays a message informing the user of the offline status and includes a “Retry” button. This keeps users informed, maintains trust, and prevents them from being left confused by blank or loading screens.
• A similar experience in Next.js would help maintain a positive user experience, particularly in regions with inconsistent internet connectivity.

Little about me :

I’m a developer with a background in the MERN stack, and I’ve been transitioning to Next.js due to its powerful features and seamless developer experience, which I find highly beneficial compared to React alone. Although I’m not an expert in Next.js yet, I’m passionate about creating efficient, user-friendly experiences and would love to contribute to this feature.

If there’s an opportunity to collaborate with the team or other contributors on implementing this offline handler feature, I would be thrilled to work together. It would be a valuable learning experience, and I’m eager to bring my skills and dedication to help make this feature a reality.

My linkedin profile link : https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarunkumar8278

Thank you for considering this proposal, and I look forward to any feedback or guidance from the Next.js team and the community!