Fix Error: Element type is invalid. Expected a string or a class/function but got: object. Check the render method of 'DynamicComponent'. in Next.js

This error occurs when next/dynamic imports a module incorrectly, usually because the imported module uses a default export but dynamic() receives the module object instead. Fix it by ensuring the dynamic import returns the default export, or use a loading function to handle the import mapping.

Reading the Stack Trace

Here's what each line means:

• at createFiberFromTypeAndProps (node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.development.js:25058:21): React received an object instead of a component function, indicating the dynamic import resolved to the module namespace object rather than the component.
• at reconcileSingleElement (node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.development.js:14732:23): React is trying to reconcile a JSX element but the type is not a valid React component.
• at mountIndeterminateComponent (node_modules/react-dom/cjs/react-dom.development.js:20069:5): The dynamically imported component is being mounted for the first time when the type mismatch is detected.

Common Causes

import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';

const Chart = dynamic(() => import('react-chartjs-2'));
// react-chartjs-2 exports { Line, Bar, Pie } not default

import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';

const Editor = dynamic(() => import('legacy-editor-lib'));
// The lib uses module.exports = Editor

import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';

const Modal = dynamic(() => import('@/components'));
// index.ts re-exports: export { Modal } from './Modal';

The Fix

Use .then() to extract the specific named export from the module. This ensures dynamic() receives the actual component function rather than the full module object. Adding ssr: false is recommended for browser-only charting libraries.

import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';

const Chart = dynamic(() => import('react-chartjs-2'));

import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';

const Chart = dynamic(
  () => import('react-chartjs-2').then((mod) => mod.Line),
  { ssr: false }
);

Testing the Fix

import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';

jest.mock('react-chartjs-2', () => ({
  Line: ({ data }: any) => <canvas data-testid="line-chart" />,
}));

const Chart = dynamic(
  () => import('react-chartjs-2').then((mod) => mod.Line),
  { ssr: false }
);

describe('DynamicChart', () => {
  it('renders the Line chart component', async () => {
    render(<Chart data={{}} />);
    expect(await screen.findByTestId('line-chart')).toBeInTheDocument();
  });

  it('does not throw Element type is invalid error', () => {
    expect(() => render(<Chart data={{}} />)).not.toThrow();
  });
});

Run your tests:

npm test

Pushing Through CI/CD

git checkout -b fix/dynamic-import-named-export,git add src/components/Chart.tsx src/components/__tests__/Chart.test.tsx,git commit -m "fix: extract named export from dynamic import for chart component",git push origin fix/dynamic-import-named-export

Your CI config should look something like this:

name: CI
on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'
          cache: 'npm'
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm test -- --coverage
      - run: npm run build

The Full Manual Process: 18 Steps

Here's every step you just went through to fix this one bug:

1. Notice the error alert or see it in your monitoring tool
2. Open the error dashboard and read the stack trace
3. Identify the file and line number from the stack trace
4. Open your IDE and navigate to the file
5. Read the surrounding code to understand context
6. Reproduce the error locally
7. Identify the root cause
8. Write the fix
9. Run the test suite locally
10. Fix any failing tests
11. Write new tests covering the edge case
12. Run the full test suite again
13. Create a new git branch
14. Commit and push your changes
15. Open a pull request
16. Wait for code review
17. Merge and deploy to production
18. Monitor production to confirm the error is resolved

Total time: 30-60 minutes. For one bug.

npm install bugstack-sdk

import { initBugStack } from 'bugstack-sdk'

initBugStack({ apiKey: process.env.BUGSTACK_API_KEY })

Deploying the Fix (Manual Path)

1. Run the test suite locally to confirm the dynamic component renders correctly.
2. Open a pull request with the dynamic import fix.
3. Wait for CI checks to pass on the PR.
4. Have a teammate review and approve the PR.
5. Merge to main and verify the dynamic component loads in staging.

Frequently Asked Questions