Scaling a Next.js App on Kubernetes

Running Next.js in production is about more than `next build`. Once traffic grows, you need a deployment that scales horizontally, recovers from failures and ships safely. Here is the setup I keep coming back to.

Containerize with a slim image

Use a multi-stage Dockerfile and Next.js standalone output to keep the runtime image tiny. Smaller images mean faster pulls and faster auto-scaling.

Let Kubernetes heal itself

Configure liveness and readiness probes, a HorizontalPodAutoscaler on CPU/memory, and a rolling update strategy. Now deploys are zero-downtime and crashed pods restart automatically.