Solving the “Async Params” Breaking Change in Next.js 15

The Challenge

I wanted to build a high-performance Movie Database that felt like a native app—instant search, blurred backdrop UI, and a headless content management system. The goal was to migrate from a standard React setup to the cutting-edge Next.js 15 architecture using Sanity.io as the backend.

The Tech Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 15 (App Router), Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui
• Backend: Sanity.io (Headless CMS)
• Data Pipeline: Node.js custom scripts (TMDB API -> Sanity)
• Deployment: Vercel (Frontend) + Sanity Cloud (Studio)

The “Next.js 15” Breaking Change

The biggest hurdle was the migration to Next.js 15. In previous versions, accessing URL query parameters (like ?query=batman) was synchronous. However, Next.js 15 introduced a breaking change where searchParams became a Promise.

My initial build failed with type errors because I was trying to access searchParams.query directly.

The Fix

I re-architected the page component to handle the asynchronous nature of the new router:

TypeScript

// The Old Way (Next.js 14) ❌
export default function Home({ searchParams }: { searchParams: { query: string } }) {
const query = searchParams.query;
}

// The Next.js 15 Way ✅
interface HomeProps {
searchParams: Promise<{ query?: string }>;
}

export default async function Home({ searchParams }: HomeProps) {
const resolvedParams = await searchParams; // Await the promise
const query = resolvedParams?.query || "";

// Now fetch data safely
const data = await getMovie(query);
}

The “Netflix” UI Effect

To give the detail page a premium feel, I implemented a dynamic backdrop strategy. Instead of fetching a separate background image, I used the movie poster, scaled it to fill the viewport, and applied a heavy CSS blur (blur-xl) with a dark gradient overlay. This creates an immersive, color-matched atmosphere for every movie automatically.

The Result

Live Project Link: https://best100movies.vercel.app/

• Performance: 100/100 Lighthouse Score.
• Scale: Automatically imported 100+ movies via a custom Node.js script.
• Speed: Instant search filtering using Server Actions and Debouncing.

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