Next.js Starter (App Router)

Why this matters

A blank HTML file does not scale to auth, routing and API routes. Next.js gives a standard structure used in many Indian product companies and startups. We keep the first screen boring on purpose.

What you will learn

You will install Node LTS, create a Next.js app with App Router, add a simple home page and a form page for the FAQ question, and run it locally. We do not invent hosting prices — deploy is a later chapter.

How to do it

Follow official create-next-app defaults unless a step says otherwise. Use Easy English labels on the UI.

Steps (do these in order)

1. Step 1 — Install Node LTS. From nodejs.org install the LTS build. In a terminal run node -v and npm -v. Note the versions in your README.
2. Step 2 — Create the app. Run the official create-next-app command for App Router + TypeScript (or JS if you prefer). Open the folder in your editor.
3. Step 3 — Home page copy. Replace the default hero with: “India Shop FAQ — ask a question” and a short line that this is a student demo.
4. Step 4 — Ask page. Add app/ask/page with a textarea, Submit button, and an empty answer box. No AI call yet — only UI.
5. Step 5 — Run and screenshot. npm run dev, open localhost, confirm the form renders on phone width too (simple CSS is enough).

Practice

• Push the empty starter to a private Git repo (no .env with secrets).
• Write three UI labels in English + one line of Marathi or Hindi help text for local users.