medusa-storefront

name	medusa-storefront
description	Build Medusa v2 storefronts with Next.js 15 — App Router, JS SDK client setup, Tanstack Query, server components, product pages, cart, and checkout flow. Use when developing headless storefronts.

Medusa v2 Storefront with Next.js

Before writing code

Fetch live docs:

1. Fetch https://docs.medusajs.com/resources/storefront-development for storefront overview
2. Web-search site:docs.medusajs.com nextjs starter storefront for starter template
3. Web-search site:docs.medusajs.com JS SDK client setup for Medusa SDK configuration
4. Web-search site:docs.medusajs.com storefront API reference for Store API endpoints
5. Web-search site:github.com medusajs nextjs-starter-medusa for latest starter source

Storefront Architecture

Medusa v2 storefronts are headless -- they consume the Store API over HTTP:

Layer	Component
Frontend	Next.js App (SSR/RSC)
HTTP Client	Medusa JS SDK
Backend	Medusa Backend (/store/* API routes)
Storage	PostgreSQL / Redis

Next.js Starter Structure

Directory	Key Files
app/	layout.tsx, page.tsx (homepage)
app/(main)/products/	page.tsx (listing), [handle]/page.tsx (detail)
app/(main)/collections/	[handle]/page.tsx (collection)
app/(main)/cart/, app/(main)/checkout/	Cart page, checkout flow
app/(auth)/, app/account/	Login/register, customer dashboard
lib/	sdk.ts (Medusa client), data/ (fetching), util/
components/	products/, cart/, checkout/, layout/
Root	next.config.js, .env.local

JS SDK Client Setup

SDK Installation

The Medusa JS SDK provides typed access to the Store API:

// lib/sdk.ts — Fetch live docs for Medusa SDK initialization
import Medusa from "@medusajs/js-sdk"

export const sdk = new Medusa({
  baseUrl: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL!,
  // Fetch live docs for publishableKey and other options
})

Environment Variables

NEXT_PUBLIC_MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:9000
NEXT_PUBLIC_MEDUSA_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_...

The publishable API key is required for Store API requests and scopes them to a specific sales channel.

Key Store API Domains

Domain	SDK Namespace	Key Operations
Products	sdk.store.product	List, retrieve by handle
Collections	sdk.store.collection	List, retrieve
Categories	sdk.store.category	List, tree
Cart	sdk.store.cart	Create, add items, update
Checkout	sdk.store.cart	Add shipping, complete
Customer	sdk.store.customer	Register, login, profile
Orders	sdk.store.order	List customer orders
Regions	sdk.store.region	List regions and currencies
Shipping	sdk.store.fulfillment	List shipping options

Fetch live docs for the complete SDK namespace list and method signatures.

Server Components vs Client Components

Pattern	Use For
Server Component (RSC)	Product listing, product detail, static content
Client Component	Cart interactions, checkout form, quantity selectors
Server Action	Cart mutations, checkout submission

Data Fetching in Server Components

// app/(main)/products/[handle]/page.tsx
// Fetch live docs for SDK method signatures
export default async function ProductPage({ params }) {
  const { product } = await sdk.store.product.retrieve(params.handle)
  return <ProductTemplate product={product} />
}

Cart Flow

Step	Action	SDK Method
1. Create cart	On first add-to-cart	sdk.store.cart.create()
2. Add line item	User adds product	sdk.store.cart.addLineItem()
3. Update quantity	User changes qty	sdk.store.cart.updateLineItem()
4. Remove item	User removes product	sdk.store.cart.removeLineItem()
5. Set region	Auto or user selection	sdk.store.cart.update()

Cart ID is typically stored in a cookie or localStorage for persistence across sessions.

Checkout Flow

Step	Required Data	SDK Call
1. Address	Shipping + billing address	sdk.store.cart.update()
2. Shipping	Selected shipping option	sdk.store.cart.addShippingMethod()
3. Payment	Payment provider session	sdk.store.cart.initiatePaymentSession()
4. Complete	Confirmation	sdk.store.cart.complete()

Customer Authentication

Flow	Description
Registration	Create customer account via Store API
Login	Authenticate and receive session token
Session	Token stored in cookie, sent with requests
Profile	Update customer info, addresses
Orders	View past orders linked to customer

// Fetch live docs for customer auth SDK methods
await sdk.auth.login("customer", "emailpass", {
  email: "[e-mail]",
  password: "password",
})

Region and Currency Handling

• Medusa supports multiple regions with different currencies
• Storefront should detect or let the user select a region
• All product prices are region-aware
• Cart is tied to a region which determines currency and tax rules

Performance Considerations

Technique	Implementation
Static Generation (SSG)	Use generateStaticParams for product pages
ISR	Revalidate product pages periodically
Streaming	Use Suspense boundaries for slow data
Image optimization	Use Next.js <Image> with Medusa image URLs
Prefetching	Use <Link> for product navigation

Best Practices

• Use Server Components for data fetching -- minimize client-side JavaScript
• Store the cart ID in a cookie for cross-tab and SSR access
• Use the publishable API key to scope requests to the correct sales channel
• Handle region/currency at the layout level, not per-page
• Implement optimistic UI updates for cart operations to improve perceived performance
• Use generateStaticParams for product and collection pages for SEO and speed
• Keep checkout as a linear flow -- do not allow skipping steps

Fetch the Medusa storefront documentation and Next.js starter source for exact SDK method signatures, component patterns, and checkout flow details before implementing.