# Failed to collect page data for /api/users How to fix it.

URL: https://antideploy.com/blog/nextjs-failed-to-collect-page-data

Next.js runs each route's module while it builds. Something at the top of that file threw. Move it inside the handler.

**What you see**

```
Error: Neither apiKey nor config.authenticator provided
    at ...
> Build error occurred
Error: Failed to collect page data for /api/checkout
```

## At a glance

- **What it means**: Code ran at import time and threw
- **The fix**: Make clients and variables lazy
- **Secrets**: Not available while the image builds
- **Where it fails**: In next build

Published 7 October 2026. Facts checked 7 October 2026. 2 min read.

## What it means

While `next build` runs, Next.js loads each route's module to read its settings. If a file runs code as soon as it is loaded, that code runs during the build too. When it throws, the build stops and names the route. The real cause is the error printed above that line.

## The usual causes

- **A variable read at the top of a file.** For example `new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY)` throws when the variable is not set during the build.
- **A database connection opened at import time.** The build has no database to connect to.
- **A network call at the top of a file.** An API called when the file loads runs during the build.

## How to fix it

Move the work inside the handler, or create the client the first time it is needed.

**Before: runs during the build**

```
// lib/stripe.ts
export const stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY);

# After: runs on the first request
let client;
export function getStripe() {
  return (client ??= new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY));
}
```

Then call `getStripe()` inside your route handler. The same idea works for a database pool or any other client.

## Why adding the secret does not help

Secrets you save on Antideploy are available when your app runs, not while the image is being built. So saving `STRIPE_SECRET_KEY` as a variable will not make the build see it. Variables that start with `NEXT_PUBLIC_` are different: they are copied into the built files, so they must be set before the build. Never put a secret in one.

## Next.js build questions, answered.

Anything else? Write to us and a person answers.

[support@antideploy.com](mailto:support@antideploy.com)

### Can I give the variable a fallback instead?

Yes. A fallback lets the module load without the real value. Use it only if the code never needs the real value during the build.

### Does it only fail in production?

It fails in `next build`. `next dev` does not run every route at start, so it can hide the problem.

### Does this failed deploy cost anything?

No. Failed deploys never count against your plan.

## More guides, and the platform.

Each platform page covers one part of Antideploy: what it does, where it stops and the questions people ask. [See the whole platform](https://antideploy.com/platform), or [all the guides](https://antideploy.com/blog).

- [How to deploy a Next.js app with a backend and database](https://antideploy.com/blog/how-to-deploy-a-nextjs-app-with-a-backend-and-database): API routes, Postgres and Prisma. What runs, how migrations work, and why builds fail on environment variables.
- [How to set environment variables and secrets](https://antideploy.com/blog/how-to-set-environment-variables-and-secrets): Encrypted and write-only. What you set, what is filled in for you, and how a change reaches the app.
- [TypeScript error fails the build](https://antideploy.com/blog/typescript-error-fails-the-build): A type error stops the build even when the app runs locally in dev mode. Run the type check and fix it.

- [Environment variables](https://antideploy.com/platform/environment-variables)
- [Deployments](https://antideploy.com/platform/deployments)
- [Database](https://antideploy.com/platform/database)

Facts on this page were checked against the live platform on 7 October 2026.

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