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Installation

To get started with Next.js and bknd you can either install the package manually, and follow the descriptions below, or use the CLI starter:
Create a new Next.js CLI starter project by running the following command:
npx bknd create -i nextjs

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Configuration

When run with Node.js, a version of 22 (LTS) or higher is required. Please verify your version by running node -v, and upgrade if necessary.
Now create a bknd.config.ts file in the root of your project. If you created the project using the CLI starter, this file is already created for you.
bknd.config.ts
import type { NextjsBkndConfig } from "bknd/adapter/nextjs";

export default {
   connection: {
      url: "file:data.db"
   }, 
} satisfies NextjsBkndConfig;
See bknd.config.ts for more information on how to configure bknd. The NextjsBkndConfig type extends the BkndConfig type with the following additional properties: 
type NextjsEnv = NextApiRequest["env"];
export type NextjsBkndConfig<Env = NextjsEnv> = FrameworkBkndConfig<Env> & {
   cleanRequest?: { searchParams?: string[] };
};

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Serve the API

Create a helper file to instantiate the bknd instance and retrieve the API, importing the configurationfrom the bknd.config.ts file:
src/bknd.ts
import { type NextjsBkndConfig, getApp as getBkndApp } from "bknd/adapter/nextjs";
import { headers } from "next/headers";
import config from "../bknd.config";

export { config };

export async function getApp() {
   return await getBkndApp(config, process.env);
}

export async function getApi(opts?: { verify?: boolean }) {
   const app = await getApp();
   if (opts?.verify) {
      const api = app.getApi({ headers: await headers() });
      await api.verifyAuth();
      return api;
   }

   return app.getApi();
}
For more information about the connection object, refer to the Database guide. Now to expose the API, create a catch-all route file at src/api/[[...bknd]]/route.ts:
src/api/[[...bknd]]/route.ts
import { config } from "@/bknd";
import { serve } from "bknd/adapter/nextjs";

// optionally, you can set the runtime to edge for better performance
export const runtime = "edge";

const handler = serve({
   ...config,
   cleanRequest: {
      // depending on what name you used for the catch-all route,
      // you need to change this to clean it from the request.
      searchParams: ["bknd"],
   },
});

export const GET = handler;
export const POST = handler;
export const PUT = handler;
export const PATCH = handler;
export const DELETE = handler;

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Enabling the Admin UI

Create a page at admin/[[...admin]]/page.tsx:
admin/[[...admin]]/page.tsx
import { Admin } from "bknd/ui";
import { getApi } from "@/bknd";
import "bknd/dist/styles.css";

export default async function AdminPage() {
   // make sure to verify auth using headers
   const api = await getApi({ verify: true });

   return (
      <Admin
         withProvider={{ user: api.getUser() }}
         config={{
            basepath: "/admin",
            logo_return_path: "/../",
            color_scheme: "system",
         }}
      />
   );
}

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Example usage of the API

You can use the getApi helper function we’ve already set up to fetch and mutate in static pages and server components:
app/page.tsx
import { getApi } from "@/bknd";

export default async function Home() {
   const api = await getApi();
   const { data: todos } = await api.data.readMany("todos", { limit: 5 });

   return <ul>
      {todos.map((todo) => (
         <li key={String(todo.id)}>{todo.title}</li>
      ))}
   </ul>
}