2 · Create the app

Nothing in this chapter touches a cluster. You can do all of it now.

Scaffold ACME

npx create-next-app@latest acme --ts --app
cd acme

Any Next.js 16 app works. This is just to have something real to deploy.

Add knext

npm i @getknext/core
npx kn-next --version

@getknext/core is the whole deploy path in one package: the official Next.js adapter, the typed config, and the kn-next CLI. The CLI lands on your PATH via node_modules/.bin, so npx kn-next works without a global install.

Point Next.js at the adapter

This is the line that makes it a knext app:

import type { NextConfig } from 'next';

const config: NextConfig = {
  adapterPath: '@getknext/core/adapter',
};

export default config;

What just happened

You used Next.js's official Deployment Adapter API. That deserves a sentence, because it is the main architectural claim knext makes.

knext is not a fork of Next.js and not a custom runtime. adapterPath is a supported extension point that Next.js itself provides for deployment targets. At build time the adapter:

• forces output: 'standalone', so next build emits a self-contained server — you do not add this yourself;
• wires the Redis cache handler, if you configure one;
• uploads your static assets after the build, keyed by build ID.

The practical consequence: your app is a normal Next.js app. If you removed knext tomorrow, the same source builds and runs on anything that runs Next.js. There is no lock-in to undo, which is also why knext can be verified against Next.js's own compatibility suite rather than asking you to take its word.

Check it still builds

npm run build

If that succeeds, the adapter is wired correctly. You should see standalone output — Next.js reporting a .next/standalone directory — which is the adapter doing its first job.

Chapter 3: Configure the deploy →