--- title: Do we really need a backend now? Can we build... description: The role of the backend in web development has been a critical component for many years. However, with the advent of frameworks like Next.js 14, the question... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/do-we-really-need-a-backend-now-can-we-build-applications-without-backend-with-next-js-14--krdsa6jes twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Do we really need a backend now? Can we build applications without backend with Next.js 14? | daily.dev og:description: The role of the backend in web development has been a critical component for many years. However, with the advent of frameworks like Next.js 14, the question... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/do-we-really-need-a-backend-now-can-we-build-applications-without-backend-with-next-js-14--krdsa6jes og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/kRDsa6jes.png og:image:alt: Do we really need a backend now? Can we build applications without backend with Next.js 14? og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Do we really need a backend now? Can we build applications without backend with Next.js 14? **[Community Picks](https://daily.dev/sources/community)** · [@noumanurrahman](https://daily.dev/noumanurrahman) · 5 min read · 221 upvotes · 37 comments ## Summary The role of the backend in web development has been a critical component for many years. However, with the advent of frameworks like Next.js 14, the question arises whether a backend is still needed. The author presents their opinion that for many applications, a separate backend is not necessary. They discuss the use of third-party APIs, the challenges of syncing data with databases and external APIs, and the scalability issues of deploying a frontend-focused platform. They also highlight the benefits of building applications with a custom backend, such as full control and flexibility. The author recommends their blog for more information on backend technologies. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@snigdho611** · 15 upvotes > As great as the idea is, executing all the complicated logic of your application on a singular end sounds dangerous, even more so when its still as experimental and new as Next JS compared to some of the more established backend technologies. **@ericburel** · 14 upvotes > That's so misleading > Next provides a backend for frontend, end of story. > It empowers frontend dev to do fullstack tasks like calling stripe to process payments, handle auth, aggregate data from APIs and data sources. > It never claimed to replace all backends, you still need internal APIs for businnes logic > This is especially true with route handlers that are voluntarily simplistic. **@kaisz** · 9 upvotes > Why would I make my life harder **@kasvith** · 8 upvotes > Yes because there are complicated apps **@markvachi** · 6 upvotes > classic ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Don’t just attend KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon, Merge Forward your experience\!](https://daily.dev/posts/don-t-just-attend-kubecon-cloudnativecon-merge-forward-your-experience--l0rpp73x8) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Announcing H2 2026 KCDs](https://daily.dev/posts/announcing-h2-2026-kcds-m96goajm1) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Two months of Open Community Groups](https://daily.dev/posts/two-months-of-open-community-groups-asf52zhbs) · CNCF · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [CNCF Unveils Schedule for KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon Europe 2026](https://daily.dev/posts/cncf-unveils-schedule-for-kubecon-cloudnativecon-europe-2026-ikhcoa5cb) · CNCF · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [CNCF Debuts KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon Japan 2026 Schedule](https://daily.dev/posts/cncf-debuts-kubecon-cloudnativecon-japan-2026-schedule-xp5pyudub) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#webdev](https://daily.dev/tags/webdev), [#backend](https://daily.dev/tags/backend), [#nextjs](https://daily.dev/tags/nextjs) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/do-we-really-need-a-backend-now-can-we-build-applications-without-backend-with-next-js-14--krdsa6jes) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Do we really need a backend now? 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