Next.js 15 – Do server actions have to be inside the app folder? Here’s what I tried

[sabbir-shuvo-ux]

So I’ve been playing around with Next.js 15 and server actions, and I noticed something interesting.

Normally in the docs/examples, server actions are defined inside the app folder (like directly in route files or colocated components). But in my project we’ve got a src/services/ folder where we keep logic, so I tried putting server actions there instead.

Here’s what I did:

// app/posts.tsx

"use client";

import { getPosts } from "@/services/post.service";

const PostsPage = () => {
  return (
    <div>
      <form action={getPosts}>
        <button type="submit">Get Posts</button>
      </form>
    </div>
  );
};

export default PostsPage;

// src/services/post.service.ts

"use server";

export const getPosts = async () => {
  console.log("getPosts");
};

When I click the button, the log shows up in the server terminal, not in the browser console. So it’s definitely running on the server side, even though the file is outside the app folder.

I also tested removing the "use server" directive from the file, when I did that, the log appeared in the browser console instead. That makes me pretty confident that adding "use server" in this file forces it to run on the server.

That got me thinking:

1. Is this actually a supported pattern in Next.js 15, or am I just getting away with it by accident? I’m a bit confused.
2. Could this break in future updates (since most examples keep server actions in app)?
3. Anyone else structuring their server actions this way (like in services/), and if so, have you run into any issues?

Feels a bit cleaner for organization, but I don’t wanna shoot myself in the foot later if Next suddenly decides “nope, server actions must live under app.”

Would love to hear how you all are handling this!

[icyJoseph]

AFAIK, they can be anywhere, even library code, as long as Next.js can find the use server directive in the right place. At the top of a file, or inside an async function.

So, the only issue I can ever see, is if this code is in a library, and bundled "incorrectly", for example the entire library code is put into one file such that the use server directive is not in the right place, or if the directive is dropped altogether. I guess one might have to use transpiledPackages or something like that for some library use cases.

As far as placing it as you describe, there should be no problem, within your own project code it should always work.

[sabbir-shuvo-ux]

Got it, that makes sense. So basically, as long as the use server directive is in the correct place and not lost during bundling, it should work fine in our project code. Thanks for clarifying!