Integrating External Services
Connect your Next.js backend to third-party APIs and services for extended functionality.
Connect Your App to the World
Modern web applications rarely exist in isolation. They often need to interact with other services to provide rich features.
- Payment Gateways: Stripe, PayPal.
- Authentication: Auth0, Clerk.
- Data Services: Weather APIs, stock prices.
- Email & SMS: SendGrid, Twilio.
Integrating these external services expands your app's capabilities immensely!
Your Next.js Backend Hub
In Next.js, the ideal place for making server-side calls to external APIs is within Route Handlers.
Route Handlers run on the server, meaning your API keys and sensitive logic stay secure and are never exposed to the client (browser).
They act like your own custom backend API endpoints.
All lessons in this course
- Building API Route Handlers
- Request Validation and Security
- Integrating External Services
- Rate Limiting and API Error Handling