Question 1

How do metadata files like favicon.ico, icon, opengraph-image and manifest work in Next.js?

Accepted Answer

**Target Audience:** Beginners preparing for Next.js interviews — basic HTML (what the head element is) helps.
**Difficulty:** Easy

> **How to read this doc:** Each idea is explained in plain language first, then tagged with `📌 Interview term:`. Every behaviour claim was checked against the Next.js 16.4.2 docs shipped with the package and, in the **Verified** section, against a lab app built with `next build`, served with `next start` and inspected with `curl`.

## 1. Why This Even Matters — A

Question 2

What is not-found.js in Next.js and how do you trigger a 404?

Accepted Answer

**Target Audience:** Frontend engineers preparing for Next.js interviews — assumes basic React and App Router familiarity.
**Difficulty:** Easy

> **How to read this doc:** Each idea is explained in plain language first, then tagged with `📌 Interview term:`. Every behaviour claim was checked against the Next.js 16.4.2 docs shipped with the package and, in the **Verified** section, against real output from a build, a running server or a real browser.

## 1. Why This Even Matters — A Story First

Question 3

What is the difference between the /public folder and imported assets in Next.js?

Accepted Answer

**Target Audience:** Frontend engineers preparing for Next.js interviews — assumes basic React and App Router familiarity.
**Difficulty:** Easy

> **How to read this doc:** Each idea is explained in plain language first, then tagged with `📌 Interview term:`. Every behaviour claim was checked against the Next.js docs shipped with the package (written on 16.3.4, re-reviewed against 16.4.2) and, in the **Verified** section, against real output from a build or a running server; each Verified block

Question 4

How do sitemap.ts and robots.ts work in Next.js?

Accepted Answer

**Target Audience:** Frontend engineers preparing for Next.js interviews — assumes basic React and App Router familiarity.
**Difficulty:** Easy

> **How to read this doc:** Each idea is explained in plain language first, then tagged with `📌 Interview term:`. Every behaviour claim was checked against the Next.js docs shipped with the package (written on 16.3.4, re-reviewed against 16.4.2) and, in the **Verified** section, against real output from a build or a running server; each Verified block

Question 5

How does Next.js handle SEO compared to a client-rendered SPA?

Accepted Answer

**Target Audience:** Frontend engineers preparing for Next.js interviews — assumes basic React and App Router familiarity.
**Difficulty:** Medium

> **How to read this doc:** Each idea is explained in plain language first, then tagged with `📌 Interview term:`. Every behaviour claim was checked against the Next.js docs shipped with the package (written on 16.3.4, re-reviewed against 16.4.2) and, in the **Verified** section, against real output from a build or a running server; each Verified bloc

Question 6

What are forbidden() and unauthorized() in Next.js?

Accepted Answer

**Target Audience:** Frontend engineers preparing for Next.js interviews — assumes basic React and App Router familiarity.
**Difficulty:** Medium

> **How to read this doc:** Each idea is explained in plain language first, then tagged with `📌 Interview term:`. Every behaviour claim was checked against the Next.js 16.4.2 docs and typings shipped with the package and, in the **Verified** section, against real output from a build, a running server or a real Chromium browser.

## 1. Why This Even M

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Easy

How do metadata files like favicon.ico, icon, opengraph-image and manifest work in Next.js?

What is not-found.js in Next.js and how do you trigger a 404?

What is the difference between the /public folder and imported assets in Next.js?

How do sitemap.ts and robots.ts work in Next.js?

Medium

How does Next.js handle SEO compared to a client-rendered SPA?

What are forbidden() and unauthorized() in Next.js?