Question 1

How do you define metadata in App Router?

Accepted Answer

Export a metadata object or generateMetadata function from layout/page. Supports title, description, openGraph, robots, alternates, etc. Nested segments merge metadata. Use generateMetadata for dynamic data.

Question 2

When do you use generateMetadata vs static metadata?

Accepted Answer

Static for fixed pages; generateMetadata when title/OG depends on fetched content. Await data carefully; avoid slowing TTFB with unnecessary waterfalls. Cache underlying fetches.

Question 3

How do title templates work?

Accepted Answer

Layouts can set title.template like %s | Brand so child titles compose. Keeps branding consistent. Child pages pass segment titles only.

Question 4

How do you set Open Graph images dynamically?

Accepted Answer

Return openGraph.images from generateMetadata, optionally using opengraph-image.tsx file conventions. Generate per-article cards for social sharing. Watch compute costs for on-the-fly image generation.

Question 5

What metadata helps control indexing?

Accepted Answer

robots meta, and route-level robots fields; plus sitemap/robots.txt. Noindex staging with env-based metadata. Don't noindex production accidentally via shared layouts.

Question 6

Can Client Components export metadata?

Accepted Answer

No — metadata exports are from Server Components/route files. Keep page files as server components that render client children. A common mistake is converting page to client and losing metadata.

Metadata Next.js Interview Questions

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