Best Practices

Follow these guidelines for optimal performance, security, and maintainability.

Performance Optimization

Caching Strategy

• Use ISR for Dynamic Content -- Implement Incremental Static Regeneration for content that changes occasionally but needs to be fast.
• Cache API Responses -- Set appropriate cache headers and use Next.js revalidation to balance freshness and performance.
• Optimize Images -- Use Next.js Image component with decoupled.io's automatic image optimization and WebP conversion.

Optimized Data Fetching

// Optimized data fetching with caching
export async function getStaticProps() {
  const articles = await fetchArticles();

  return {
    props: { articles },
    revalidate: 300, // Revalidate every 5 minutes
  }
}

// Use React.memo for expensive components
const ArticleCard = React.memo(({ article }) => {
  return (
    <div className="article-card">
      <Image
        src={article.image}
        alt={article.title}
        width={400}
        height={200}
        priority={article.featured}
      />
      <h3>{article.title}</h3>
    </div>
  )
})

Security Best Practices

API Security

• Validate Input Data -- Always validate and sanitize data from APIs before using it in your application.
• Use Environment Variables -- Store sensitive configuration in environment variables, never in code.
• Implement Rate Limiting -- Protect your API endpoints from abuse with proper rate limiting.

Security Checklist

• HTTPS everywhere
• Secure headers configured
• Input validation
• Regular security updates
• Access control implemented
• Error handling secure

Code Quality & Architecture

Project Structure

src/
├── components/          # Reusable UI components
│   ├── ui/             # Basic UI elements
│   └── layout/         # Layout components
├── lib/                # Utility functions
│   ├── drupal.ts       # Drupal API client
│   ├── utils.ts        # Helper functions
│   └── types.ts        # TypeScript types
├── hooks/              # Custom React hooks
├── styles/             # Global styles
└── app/                # Next.js app directory
    ├── (routes)/       # Route groups
    └── api/            # API routes

TypeScript Best Practices

• Define Proper Types -- Create interfaces for all API responses and component props.
• Use Strict Mode -- Enable strict TypeScript settings for better type safety.
• Generate Types from Schema -- Use GraphQL code generation for type-safe API calls.

Data Management

GraphQL Best Practices

• Request Only What You Need -- Use GraphQL's field selection to minimize data transfer and improve performance.
• Use Fragments for Reusability -- Define GraphQL fragments for commonly used field sets.
• Implement Pagination -- Use cursor-based pagination for large datasets.

Efficient GraphQL Query Example

// Define reusable fragments
const ARTICLE_FRAGMENT = gql`
  fragment ArticleFields on NodeArticle {
    id
    title
    summary
    created
    author {
      displayName
    }
  }
`;

// Use fragments in queries
const GET_ARTICLES = gql`
  query GetArticles($first: Int!, $after: String) {
    nodeArticles(first: $first, after: $after) {
      edges {
        node {
          ...ArticleFields
        }
      }
      pageInfo {
        hasNextPage
        endCursor
      }
    }
  }
  ${ARTICLE_FRAGMENT}
`;

Testing Strategy

Recommended Testing Approach

Unit Tests

• Utility functions
• Custom hooks
• Component logic
• API client functions

Integration Tests

• API endpoints
• Component interactions
• Data flow
• Form submissions

E2E Tests

• Critical user journeys
• Cross-browser testing
• Performance testing
• Accessibility testing