How to Add a New API Route

This guide helps contributors add new API routes to CodeNearby using Next.js 14’s App Router with the route.ts convention.

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Folder Structure

API routes in CodeNearby live inside:

app/
└── api/
    └── your-endpoint/
        └── route.ts

Each folder under api/ maps to a RESTful endpoint.

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Basic Template

To add a new API endpoint at /api/example, follow these steps:

1. Create the folder:

   mkdir -p app/api/example

2. Create the route handler:

   // app/api/example/route.ts
   import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
   
   export async function GET(req: Request) {
     return NextResponse.json({ message: 'Hello from /api/example' });
   }
   
   export async function POST(req: Request) {
     const body = await req.json();
     // handle logic here
     return NextResponse.json({ received: body });
   }

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Test It

Once added, you can test it by running the dev server:

npm run dev

Then visit:

http://localhost:3000/api/example

Or test with curl:

curl http://localhost:3000/api/example

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Best Practices

• Always return NextResponse from handlers.
• Validate inputs using zod or manual checks.
• Avoid writing DB logic directly — use helpers from lib/.
• Respect rate limits or use caching if it’s read-heavy.
• Create subfolders if your route has nested operations (e.g. api/gathering/[slug]/chat).

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Advanced: Dynamic Params

For dynamic routes like /api/user/[id], use:

// app/api/user/[id]/route.ts

export async function GET(
  req: Request,
  { params }: { params: { id: string } }
) {
  const { id } = params;
  return NextResponse.json({ userId: id });
}

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Example Use Cases

Route	Purpose
/api/devs	Search devs by skill/location
/api/friends/request/[id]	Send a friend request
/api/posts/[id]/comments	Handle nested post logic

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Commit & PR

Once tested:

Commit and create a Pull Request with a clear description:

feat(api): add /example route for demo purposes