Forem: Sourav Mahato

Trying to understand what actually happens behind Next.js serverless and edge..

Sourav Mahato — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:47:09 +0000

While using Next.js for some time, one thing was always in my mind because it uses serverless and edge functions. But I was always curious about what actually happens behind the scenes.

So I started exploring a bit deeper just to understand the idea.

First I tried to understand how CDN works. I learned how content is cached in different locations and how systems like AWS CloudFront serve users from the nearest location. That helped me understand why modern apps try to move logic closer to the user.

Then I started reading about serverless architecture. The idea itself is quite interesting. In a normal backend server, something is always running. But in serverless the function runs only when a request comes.

If nobody is using it, nothing is running. When a request comes, a small environment is created and the function runs. That is why sometimes the first request can take a little time because the environment needs to start. The concept of scale to zero was something I found really interesting.

After that I explored a bit about edge computing. I read about how Cloudflare Workers run code near the user using the V8 engine. Instead of going to a single central server, the logic can run at edge locations.

While reading all this I also came across how platforms try to optimize these systems. For example how instances are reused, how environments stay lightweight, and how cold start delays are reduced.

I also learned about how Vercel tries to improve this with things like fluid compute where instances can be reused more efficiently instead of always creating a completely new environment.

Another interesting thing I noticed is how important serverless databases are becoming today. If your compute is serverless but the database is not designed for that architecture, it can create problems. That is why many modern databases are also trying to support serverless scaling and distributed access.

Earlier I used to think frameworks like Next.js are doing some magic. But after reading a bit about CDN, serverless compute, edge functions and infrastructure optimization, things started making more sense.

I am still learning and exploring these topics.

localhost to deploy..project that changed my thinking....

Sourav Mahato — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:19:26 +0000

As a fresher stepping into software development, I initially focused on languages, frameworks, and tutorials, building small projects just for practice. After months of learning the development cycle, trying, failing, fixing, and sometimes feeling frustrated but continuing, one project changed how I think about software. It made me realize development is not only about code, but about people, problems, and perspective.

Because I love dancing, I built a small video platform for dancers where they can upload videos, connect, create playlists, and express themselves. While building it, I had to think beyond coding: understanding user needs, data flow, authentication, video delivery, and how the product should feel when someone uses it.

On the backend, I learned the importance of security, validation, and proper data design. Creating a custom authentication flow taught me about sessions, cookies, verification, and how login systems affect user trust. Since it was a video platform, I also explored how video streaming works, file processing, CDN usage, encoding, and performance optimization, which showed me that delivery and performance matter as much as features. On the frontend, I realized clean UX matters more than fancy UI; users care about smooth, fast, simple experiences, not frameworks.

Deployment was another key learning phase. Connecting frontend and backend in production, handling cookies, CORS, device behavior, and performance showed the real difference between a local project and a usable product.

AI discussions helped accelerate my thinking, validate ideas faster, and connect concepts more efficiently, becoming more of a learning partner than just a tool...
platform is live, and a few people also checked. It feels amazing to see how a simple thought in your mind can turn into reality through software.

Live Application: https://www.dancely.in
Documentation:https://docs.dancely.in
Swagger API Doc: https://api.dancely.in/api/v1/docs
Backend Repository: https://github.com/sourav6563/dancely-backend
Frontend Repository: https://github.com/sourav6563/dancely-frontend
Demo Credential:

Email: dancelydemo@gmail.com
Password: Dancely@3900

shadcn & ai give me superpower....

Sourav Mahato — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 20:59:15 +0000

While working on the frontend of my project, I used shadcn/ui, and it has been a great experience. The components are clean, stable, and highly customizable. Since it’s built on top of Radix UI and integrates well with Lucide icons, it provides both accessibility and flexibility out of the box.

Because of this, I spent less time building basic UI components from scratch and could focus more on improving UX, responsiveness, and overall design quality using CSS. Combining shadcn with AI development worked really well— it reduced errors, helped maintain a stable UI, and made customization easier. Overall, it made frontend development more efficient and enjoyable...for me

browser security sucks in deployment configuration...

Sourav Mahato — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 06:24:32 +0000

so recently i working on my personal project almost completed frontend and backend both. then i started deployment because both app in different domain.

honestly deployment teach me lot. still initially use auto deploy platforms but still configure diff domain server to connect each other pain..

i already know cors little bit so that not big issue. but browser security things wow too much. cookies sharing issue, same site config, third party cookie problem frontend cant read api cookie. spend many hours just understanding what happening.

also learn cookie security part like secure true use for https only before never think about this but production time understand why important.

learn how same site works, when use lax strict none, how subdomain help make same site better. also cors deeper understanding came when real production.

sometimes frustrating but after fixing one issue that feeling different. like small adrenaline rush after long debugging...

Thoughts changed as a dev...

Sourav Mahato — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:42:42 +0000

I used to think development is all about learning languages, frameworks, libraries, diff tools..
But slowly slowly my thinking started changing.
Now I feel development is not mainly about code. It is about thinking.
Thinking how a problem can be solved through a system.
Thinking how real users will use it.
Thinking how business flow works.
Thinking where things can break.
Thinking about edge cases.
Thinking about the domain industry,
Nowadays I spend more time talking with ChatGPT and other LLMs, not to copy code, but to discuss things more. To understand workflow. To understand how a product should behave. What should happen first, what can go wrong, what is missing.
And one big realization I got
Code is actually the last part....

Understanding custom auth flow and its implementation..

Sourav Mahato — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:08:16 +0000

Recently I was trying to really understand custom auth flow and how its implementation actually works. .
So I started rebuilding auth system again. This time more seriously. I focused on proper flow, proper structure, and proper error handling. Used zod for validation. Used Resend for email verification. Added forgot password and reset password flow.
Honestly this part took me lot of time. Not because syntax was hard, but because business workflow was hard. Thinking about every step. Where security can break. How password should store. How jwt should use. Since jwt is stateless, what happens when access token expire. How refresh token comes from database. All this forced me to think deeper....all edge cases to look upon..
After completing this auth flow, I feel my thinking changed. Now I don’t just write endpoints. I think about user flow, edge cases, and security.
In real world, using ready auth services makes sense. But building a complete custom auth flow once really took me to different level.
Still learning. Still fixing. But this auth project taught me a lot...

Docker solved my pain point on My Linux desktop....

Sourav Mahato — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 07:44:08 +0000

Recently I started learning Docker and trying to understand how it actually works behind the scenes. How Docker Engine works, how containers are isolated, and why it is so useful in real development and deployment.
One thing I really realized is how helpful Docker is for maintaining a consistent environment. No matter where you run it, things behave the same. That stability matters a lot, especially during deployment.

Docker solved one of my biggest pain points. I use Linux, especially openSUSE. A few months ago, I even made a post about PostgreSQL installation issues because many packages don’t properly support openSUSE. It was frustrating.
But with one Docker command, I can run PostgreSQL or almost any database without worrying about OS-level issues. That single thing made me love Docker even more.
For me, learning Docker didn’t feel very difficult because I am already familiar with virtual machines. Containers feel similar to VMs, but they are much more lightweight, resource-efficient, and practical for daily development.
Still learning, but honestly enjoying the process a lot.

First time with Nextjs............

Sourav Mahato — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 18:50:01 +0000

Recently I tried to use Next.js for the first time...
At the beginning honestly I felt it is too much configuration. In React we already have folders, but here pages and routes come from folder structure itself. That was confusing for me first.
Slowly I started learning more about how Next.js actually works. I understood that it is not just React, but kind of improved way to write React code for frontend. Routing becomes very easy because it is already provided by the framework. No extra setup, just follow the structure.
Then I started exploring backend in Next.js and that part impressed me a lot. Before this, I mostly explored traditional Node.js backend where backend is centralized and server runs continuously. But in Next.js backend, it is different. It uses serverless routes and edge servers. Initially my head was stuck because middleware is written in different way, database connection looks little different, and nothing feels like normal Express setup.
But slowly slowly I understood the idea. These backend functions run on server when needed and then stop. It is not like a continuously running server. That mindset change was big for me as a learner.
I also realized that I don’t have to manually create routes like React or Express. Everything is handled by file structure. That is powerful but also restrictive. Because Next.js is a framework, it has rules. In Express backend I feel more flexible because I can change many things the way I want.
Still, as a new learner, my experience with Next.js is really good. I learned many new concepts, especially how frontend and backend can work together in a different way. This learning journey is helping me think differently about how web applications are built.
Still learning, still exploring.

My GNOME Experience...

Sourav Mahato — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:40:33 +0000

It’s almost 1 and half year I am using Linux in my main laptop. Honestly I was never big fan of Windows UI, always felt little crowded for me. When I switched to Linux, I saw there are so many desktop environments… but most popular distro using GNOME only.
First I used Ubuntu, they use their own custom GNOME with little touch. Then I tried Pop OS also. That also same type only. But slowly I realised I actually like the raw GNOME more than any customized version.
There are other desktops also like KDE, XFCE… but GNOME is different for me. Very simple. No unnecessary things. Just clean UI, clean philosophy. Every app also looks neat and peaceful. That part I liked the most.
People say GNOME is not super customizable, but with extensions you can change almost anything if you want. And the gestures for workspace and window switching… that is my favourite part. Very smooth.
And right now I am on GNOME 48, and honestly it feels even more refined. Small things improved, overall experience very comfortable for me.
So yeah… after trying different distros and desktops, GNOME gives me that calm, clean vibe I was searching. Simple, stable, and satisfying....

React.....

Sourav Mahato — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:21:05 +0000

It’s been more than 1 month now and I learned so many new things.....
at starting I didn’t know why React was even made or what problem it really solved. But when I started learning, I understood it’s not just a library, it’s a full system that makes big complex ui easy to manage. It helps to update parts of page fast without reloading whole page.
When I understood how react’s virtual dom works and how rendering happens, I was like okay now I get why big companies use it. Then I learned about components, props, and state — how data move between them and how React manages everything.
after that I learned about routing, useEffect....
Then I came to redux.. At first it looked confusing, but later I understood why it’s used. When your app becomes big, it’s hard to manage state in many components. redux helps to keep all data in one place, so any part of the app can use it easily. It makes state management simple when the project grows...

While learning i understand how code flow works, how to write cleaner structure, and how to think while building a feature.
I also explored packages like React Hook Form for forms, learned better ways to handle state, how to keep code neat, and how bundlers like Vite make project faster. Even with Tailwind, I learned how to use it in a more proper and professional way.
This one month was not just learning React, but really understanding how it works and why it’s so powerful....

My experience with Postman (api testing).......

Sourav Mahato — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:50:32 +0000

These days almost few months passed I am learning backend. First time when I started, backend felt too much overwhelming. Lot of information everywhere. Too many new words, new things to understand. But slowly slowly I started getting it.
Now I understand much better how backend actually works. How request come, how response go, how database connect, how whole architecture run. Also I realised scalability is very big thing. If backend not scalable, then in future it crash when users increase.
I am trying to write better and more robust APIs now. While learning I used Postman for API testing. Seriously that tool help me a lot... I installed it in my Linux and started testing my routes. Giving different data, sending requests, seeing responses, working with headers and stuff. It made learning much easier.....
Backend is still long journey for me but now I feel confidence that I can do it if I keep learning daily.....

Trying Duck duck go....

Sourav Mahato — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 12:35:19 +0000

i think for most of us, Google is like the default place to search anything....And also because of the tight integration with everything.....
since school or college days, it’s just a habit to open Google.
and honestly, it works great, that’s why we never think about trying something else.
but sometime i see... half of the first page looks like sponsored or personalized stuff....sometimes i just want normal, clean results.
so a few days back, i tried DuckDuckGo....
i heard about it before, used it a little long time ago but not seriously.
this time i explored it properly, and honestly, i liked it.
the whole experience feels lighter not that much personalized tracking, more control over privacy if we think from a search engine point of view.
and the results feel more natural,...not like they’re trying to sell you something...
i also checked their AI part surprisingly decent! Duck AI and instant AI suggestions like Google.
not super fancy like Google’s, but works well for quick answers.
it even gives region-wise options sometimes, and the interface feels simple and clean....
i won’t say it’s perfect or better than Google in everything,
but after a long time, i actually enjoyed using a different search engine.....