Prompt to Create an Admin Dashboard in Next.js

AI agent prompt to build a protected Next.js admin dashboard with data tables, server-side auth guards, and a sidebar layout using Tailwind.

Give this prompt to your agent to scaffold a role-gated admin area with a persistent sidebar, sortable data tables, and server-side auth checks — without it scaffolding a full new Next.js project or installing a bloated admin framework.

Main Prompt

You are working in an existing Next.js App Router project with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS v4,
and PostgreSQL. Auth is already set up (assume a `getSession()` helper exists in `src/lib/get-session.ts`
that returns `{ user: { id, email, role } } | null`).

Task: add an admin dashboard at the `/admin` route group.

Requirements:
- Create a `src/app/(admin)/layout.tsx` that:
  - Calls `getSession()` and redirects to `/login` if the session is null or `role !== 'admin'`.
  - Renders a persistent sidebar with links: Dashboard, Users, Settings.
  - Uses Tailwind for layout — a fixed-width sidebar and a scrollable main area.
- Create `src/app/(admin)/dashboard/page.tsx` with:
  - Four KPI cards: Total Users, Active Today, Revenue (MRR), Churn Rate — all fetched from
    PostgreSQL using parameterized queries via `postgres` npm package.
  - A `<UsersTable>` server component that renders the 50 most recent users (id, email, role,
    created_at) with sortable column headers (URL-based sort param).
- Create `src/components/admin/KpiCard.tsx` and `src/components/admin/UsersTable.tsx`.
- All DB queries must use parameterized placeholders — never string interpolation.
- Do not install Prisma, Drizzle, or any ORM. Use the `postgres` package directly.
- Do not use any pre-built admin UI library (Refine, AdminJS, etc.).

Stop and list all planned file changes before writing any code.

Implementation Notes

The (admin) route group parentheses keep /admin/dashboard out of the URL while sharing the layout — the agent sometimes forgets the parentheses and creates a literal /admin segment.
Sortable columns should use ?sort=email&dir=asc URL params read in the Server Component via searchParams prop — no client state needed.
KPI queries should be run in parallel with Promise.all to minimize DB round-trips.

Expected File Changes

src/app/(admin)/layout.tsx                  (new)
src/app/(admin)/dashboard/page.tsx          (new)
src/components/admin/KpiCard.tsx            (new)
src/components/admin/UsersTable.tsx         (new)
src/lib/queries/admin-stats.ts             (new)

Acceptance Criteria

Visiting /dashboard as a non-admin user redirects to /login.
KPI cards show real values from PostgreSQL.
Users table is sorted by the sort + dir URL params server-side.
bun run build exits 0 with no type errors.

Test Commands

bun run typecheck
bun run build
bun run dev
# log in as admin and visit /dashboard
# visit /dashboard without auth — confirm redirect to /login
# add ?sort=email&dir=asc to the URL and confirm table order

Common AI Mistakes

Creating src/app/admin/layout.tsx instead of src/app/(admin)/layout.tsx.
Performing the auth check client-side, which is bypassable.
Using string interpolation in SQL queries: `SELECT * FROM users WHERE role = '${role}'`.
Fetching KPI stats sequentially instead of using Promise.all.

Fix Prompt

The admin layout does not redirect unauthenticated users, or the route group folder name is wrong.
Fix in order:
1. Rename `src/app/admin/` to `src/app/(admin)/` — the parentheses are required for a route group.
2. In `layout.tsx`, add the auth check at the very top using `getSession()` and `redirect('/login')`.
3. Audit all SQL query strings and replace any interpolated variables with `$1`, `$2` placeholders.
Show the corrected diff only.