T3: Creating Scalable Applications

T3 is a complete and secure application stack for building Next.js and TypeScript development. It provides a set of tools and libraries to make applications scalable and easy to maintain and includes features such as built-in support for server-side rendering, automatic code splitting and integrated development environment (IDE) support for TypeScript.

T3 provides a set of best practices and conventions for structuring and building Next.js applications, which makes it easier to create a new project and helps ensure that the code base is organised and consistent.

Why use T3 to develop apps?

Like Jamstack, T3 is a dedicated set of libraries and frameworks that use a specific methodology to create modern web applications. In the case of T3, the focus is on simplicity, modularity and security.

What are the key components of T3?

T3 includes various components depending on the specific needs of each application. Here are some examples of the tools and libraries included:

Next.js: framework for building React applications, which provides built-in support for server-side rendering and automatic code splitting, among others.

TypeScript: JavaScript superset that provides increased developer productivity and improved code quality through type checking and object-oriented programming.

Tailwind CSS: CSS framework that provides a set of predefined classes that can be used to style components quickly and easily.

tRPC: query language for the API and runtime to execute data queries. More from tRPC.

Prisma: an open source data access tool that provides a simple and powerful way to interact with TypeScript databases.

NextAuth.js: open source library for adding authentication and authorisation functionality to Next.js applications.

What is tRPC and how does it work?

TRPC (TypeScript-based Remote Procedure Call) is a remote procedure call (RPC) framework for building microservices and distributed systems using TypeScript in an easy-to-use and secure way.

It uses gRPC, a high-performance open source framework for building remote procedure call (RPC) APIs, as the underlying transport layer.  It provides a set of TypeScript decorators and other language features to facilitate the definition and implementation of RPC service interfaces in a secure and consistent manner.

TRPC allows you to define service interfaces using TypeScript classes and methods and to generate the gRPC service definitions, client stubs, server stubs and other necessary code. This makes it possible to focus on the service business logic and not on the details of the gRPC protocol.

TRPC also provides additional functions such as request/response validation and error handling and offers a simple way to implement middleware that can be used to add functions such as logging, authentication and rate limiting to services.

What is NextAuth.js and how does it work?

NextAuth.js is an open source library for adding authentication and authorisation functionality to Next.js applications. It provides a set of tools and APIs for managing user registration, login and logout, as well as for managing user sessions and securing application paths and pages.

NextAuth.js is designed to be easy to use and integrates seamlessly with Next.js, allowing authentication functionality to be added to an application with minimal configuration.

It supports a wide range of authentication providers, including popular services such as Google, Facebook and GitHub, as well as traditional email and password-based authentication.

Some of the key features of NextAuth.js include:

●  Support for multiple authentication providers

● OAuth and OAuth2 support

●     JSON web token (JWT) support

●      Easy-to-use APIs to manage user registration, login and logout

●      Integrated support for protecting routes and pages in the application

●      Support for server-side rendering (SSR)

●      Client Side Support (CSR)

●      Flexibility and customisation

The advantages of T3 for building scalable web applications

TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript with several advantages for developers. Some of the main reasons to use TypeScript are:

● Improves productivity: TypeScript static checking helps detect errors early in the development process, reducing the likelihood of run-time errors and making it easier to find and correct bugs.

● Better code quality: the TypeScript system and other language features help make code more readable, maintainable and less error-prone.

● Enhanced tools and IDE support: TypeScript provides enhanced tools and support for integrated development environments (IDEs), making it easier to navigate, refactor and understand the code base.

● Improved scalability: TypeScript's support for modules and namespaces, and its ability to express types throughout your codebase, makes it easier to organise and scale your codebase as you grow.

● Better collaboration: TypeScript types make it easier to understand the shape of data and how different parts of the codebase work together, making it easier to work large codebases in a team.

●  More future-proofing: TypeScript is being widely adopted by the industry and many popular frameworks and libraries such as Angular, React and Node.js are now built with TypeScript, meaning it is becoming a valuable skill for developers to have.

Main challenges in developing with T3

Here are some potential challenges and ways to address them:

● Learning curve: Teams may need to invest time and resources to learn new technologies and concepts used in T3, such as Next.js, GraphQL, TypeScript and ORM. This can be addressed by providing training, tutorials and documentation to help team members get up to speed quickly.

● Codebase migration: If teams are currently using a different stack or workframe, migrating the existing codebase to T3 can be a challenge. This can be addressed by using automated tools, following best practices for code migration and providing a migration plan to minimise downtime and ensure a smooth transition.

● Limited experience: If teams do not have in-house experience with T3, it can be difficult to find experienced developers to help with the adoption process. This can be addressed by working with external consultants who have experience with T3 to provide guidance and support.

● Integration with existing systems: Teams may need to integrate T3 with existing systems, such as databases, third-party services or legacy systems. This can be addressed by using T3's powerful data management and ORM capabilities to easily connect to different data sources and ensure data integrity.

Getting started with T3

Scaffolding a T3 application can be done through the T3 CLI (Command Line Interface) tool which provides a set of commands to create, develop and deploy T3 applications.

You can use the T3 CLI to create a new application by executing the following command: npx t3 create <app-name> where <app-name> is the name you want to give to your application.

This command will create a new directory with the specified name and generate all the files and directories needed for a new T3 application. This includes a minimal Next.js application, a basic set of TypeScript types, and a set of example pages and components.

When the scaffolding is ready you can navigate to the new directory and start developing the application by running: cd <application-name> npm run dev

This command will start the development server and open the application in the browser.

The T3 CLI provides other commands to work on building, testing and deploying the application. For more information and examples of how to use the T3 CLI.

* You need to have Node.js and npm or yarn installed to use the T3 CLI.

How to implement T3 on Vercel, Netlify or Docker?

When the T3 application is ready, it can be deployed on different hosting platforms such as Vercel, Netlify or Docker. The deployment process depends on the hosting platform, but generally involves the following steps:

1. Register for an account with your chosen hosting platform.

2. Connect the T3 application repository to the hosting platform by linking the GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket account to the hosting platform account.

3. Configure the T3 application for deployment. This may include adding a vercel.json file (if deployed on Vercel), a netlify.toml file (if deployed on Netlify), a Dockerfile (if deployed on Docker), or other hosting platform-specific configuration. These files are used to configure the hosting platform to build and deploy the T3 application.

4. Create the T3 application by running the npm run build command which will create a production-ready build of the T3 application in the output directory.

5. Deploy the T3 application by running the npm run export command to export the application to a dist directory that can be deployed on the hosting platform.

6. Once the build and export process is done, the hosting platform will automatically detect the changes in the repository and trigger the deployment.

7. After implementation, the T3 application will be available online and the URL can be visited to view the site live.

*These steps are a general guide. Specific steps may vary depending on the hosting platform. Please refer to the documentation for your chosen platform for detailed instructions on how to deploy the T3 application.

Depending on the chosen platform, you may need to configure environment variables, add a custom domain or perform other configuration steps.

T3 and headless CMS

T3 can be used with a headless CMS, which allows content to be managed and delivered via an API, rather than a traditional web interface. This allows decoupling the frontend and backend and provides more flexibility in the way content is displayed and interacted with.

T3's powerful features such as GraphQL, JWT, ORM, Middleware and its ability to handle authentication and authorisation, make it easy to connect to a standalone CMS and retrieve the data to be displayed in the interface.

For example, T3 can be used to create a Next.js application that retrieves content from a headless CMS via a GraphQL API and then displays that content on a website or web application.

T3's powerful TypeScript support and its ability to handle authentication and authorisation can be used to ensure that content is displayed correctly and that only authorised users can access it.

What are the alternatives to a T3 application?

Popular alternatives include:

●  MERN: collection of JavaScript technologies for building web applications that work for MongoDB, Express.js, React and Node.js. It is similar to T3 in that it uses React for the frontend and Node.js for the backend, but does not use TypeScript.

●  MEVN: similar to MERN but uses Vue.js instead of React.

●  Ruby on Rails: framework for creating web applications using the Ruby programming language. It follows the model-view-controller (MVC) architectural pattern and emphasises convention over configuration.

●  Laravel: PHP framework for developing web applications. It follows the model-view-controller (MVC) architectural pattern and emphasises convention over configuration.

● Django: high-level Python web framework that enables the rapid development of secure and easy-to-maintain websites.

●  Symfony: An open source PHP framework that provides a set of tools and libraries for building robust and maintainable web applications. It follows the model-view-controller (MVC) architectural pattern and emphasises convention over configuration.

Community and resources: how to connect and find out more about T3

To learn more about T3 and how to create secure, modular and simple applications, check out these profiles on Twitter, Reddit, related websites and blogs.

Twitter:

@t3js

@vercel

@typescript

@nextjs

Reddit:

r/T3js

r/Nextjs

r/Typescript

How organisations use T3 to create apps

E-commerce companies use T3 to create fast, high-performance web applications that can handle large amounts of traffic and data. They also use T3's powerful TypeScript support to ensure their code is reliable and easy to maintain.

The healthcare industry uses T3 to create web applications that can handle sensitive patient data and meet strict security standards. They also use T3's powerful data management and ORM capabilities to easily connect to different data sources and ensure data integrity.

Fintechs use T3 to build web applications that handle financial transactions and sensitive user data. They use the powerful authentication and authorisation features to ensure that their web applications are secure and compliant with regulations.

T3's powerful features and ability to handle complex use cases make it a popular choice for companies looking to build scalable and maintainable web applications.

Contact us

If your organisation is interested in developing a modern, secure and scalable application from experts, we invite you to contact us.