docs: revised nextjs guide

docs/_guides.yaml

@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ toc:
   - title: Google Cloud
     path: /docs/genkit/plugins/google-cloud
 
+  - break: true
+  - title: Using Genkit with Next.js
+    path: /docs/genkit/nextjs
+
   - break: true
   - title: Migrate from Genkit 0.5
     path: /docs/genkit/migrating-from-0.5

docs/nextjs.md

@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+# Use Genkit in a Next.js app 
+
+This page shows how you can use Genkit flows as server actions in your Next.js
+apps.
+
+## Before you begin
+
+You should be familiar with Genkit's concept of [flows](flows), and how to write
+them.
+
+## Create a Next.js project
+
+If you don't already have a Next.js project that you want to add generative AI
+features to, you can create one for the purpose of following along with this
+page:
+
+```posix-terminal
+npx create-next-app@latest
+```
+
+## Install Genkit dependencies
+
+Install the Genkit dependencies into your Next.js app, the same way you would
+for any Genkit project:
+
+1.  Install the core Genkit library:
+
+    ```posix-terminal
+    npm i --save genkit
+    ```
+
+1.  Install at least one model plugin.
+
+    For example, to use Google AI:
+
+    ```posix-terminal
+    npm i --save @genkit-ai/googleai
+    ```
+
+    Or to use Vertex AI:
+
+    ```posix-terminal
+    npm i --save @genkit-ai/vertexai
+    ```
+
+1.  If you didn't install the Genkit CLI globally, you can install it as a
+    development dependency. The tsx tool is also recommended, as it makes
+    testing your code more convenient. Both of these dependencies are optional,
+    however.
+
+    ```posix-terminal
+    npm i --save-dev genkit-cli tsx
+    ```
+
+## Define Genkit flows
+
+Create a new file in your Next.js project to contain your Genkit flows: for
+example, `src/app/genkit.ts`. This file can contain your flows without
+modification; however, because you can only run flows from a server backend, you
+must add the `'use server'` directive to the top of the file.
+
+For example:
+
+```ts
+'use server';
+
+import { gemini15Flash, googleAI } from "@genkit-ai/googleai";
+import { genkit, z } from "genkit";
+
+const ai = genkit({
+  plugins: [googleAI()],
+  model: gemini15Flash,
+});
+
+export const menuSuggestionFlow = ai.defineFlow(
+  {
+    name: "menuSuggestionFlow",
+    inputSchema: z.string(),
+    outputSchema: z.string(),
+  },
+  async (restaurantTheme) => {
+    const { text } = await ai.generate({
+      model: gemini15Flash,
+      prompt: `Invent a menu item for a ${restaurantTheme} themed restaurant.`,
+    });
+    return text;
+  }
+);
+```
+
+## Call your flows 
+
+Now, in your frontend code, you can import your flows and call them as server
+actions.
+
+For example:
+
+```tsx
+'use client';
+
+import { menuSuggestionFlow } from '@/app/genkit';
+import { useState } from 'react';
+
+export default function Home() {
+  const [menuItem, setMenuItem] = useState<string>('');
+
+  async function getMenuItem(formData: FormData) {
+    const theme = formData.get('theme')?.toString() ?? '';
+    const suggestion = await menuSuggestionFlow(theme);
+    setMenuItem(suggestion);
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <main>
+      <form action={getMenuItem}>
+        <label htmlFor="theme">
+          Suggest a menu item for a restaurant with this theme:{' '}
+        </label>
+        <input type="text" name="theme" id="theme" />
+        <br />
+        <br />
+        <button type="submit">Generate</button>
+      </form>
+      <br />
+      <pre>{menuItem}</pre>
+    </main>
+  );
+}
+```
+
+## Test your app locally
+
+If you want to run your app locally, you need to make credentials for the model
+API service you chose available.
+
+- {Gemini (Google AI)}
+
+  1.  Make sure Google AI is
+      [available in your region](https://ai.google.dev/available_regions).
+
+  1.  [Generate an API key](https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey) for the
+      Gemini API using Google AI Studio.
+
+  1.  Set the `GOOGLE_GENAI_API_KEY` environment variable to your key:
+
+      ```posix-terminal
+      export GOOGLE_GENAI_API_KEY=<your API key>
+      ```
+
+- {Gemini (Vertex AI)}
+
+  1.  In the Cloud console,
+      [Enable the Vertex AI API](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/aiplatform.googleapis.com?project=_)
+      for your project.
+
+  1.  Set some environment variables and use the
+      [`gcloud`](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud) tool to set up application
+      default credentials:
+
+      ```posix-terminal
+      export GCLOUD_PROJECT=<your project ID>
+
+      export GCLOUD_LOCATION=us-central1
+
+      gcloud auth application-default login
+      ```
+
+Then, run your app locally as normal:
+
+```posix-terminal
+npm run dev
+```
+
+All of Genkit's development tools continue to work as normal. For example, to
+load your flows in the developer UI:
+
+```posix-terminal
+npx genkit start -- npx tsx --watch src/app/genkit.ts
+```
+
+## Deploy your app 
+
+When you deploy your app, you will need to make sure the credentials for any
+external services you use (such as your chosen model API service) are available
+to the deployed app. See the following pages for information specific to your
+chosen deployment platform:
+
+- [Cloud Functions for Firebase](firebase)
+- [Cloud Run](cloud-run)
+- [Other Node.js platforms](deploy-node)