If you have been learning React, you have probably heard the name Next.js thrown around in tutorials, job descriptions, and developer forums. But what exactly is it, and why should you care?
React vs. Next.js: The Car Analogy
To understand Next.js, we first need to look at React. React is a library for building user interfaces. It is excellent at rendering components and managing state, but it doesn't have opinions on how you handle routing, data fetching, or performance optimizations.
Think of React as the engine. It is powerful and essential, but an engine alone cannot get you from point A to point B. You need a chassis, wheels, a steering wheel, and a dashboard.
Next.js is the car. It takes the React engine and wraps it in a complete framework that provides everything else you need to build a production-ready web application: routing, optimization, server-side rendering, and more.
The Magic of Rendering: CSR, SSR, and SSG
One of the biggest value propositions of Next.js is how it handles rendering—the process of turning your code into the HTML that users see.
1. Client-Side Rendering (Standard React)
In a standard React app, the browser downloads a blank HTML page and a massive JavaScript file. The browser then executes that JavaScript to build the page. This is great for interactive dashboards but bad for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because search engines might see a blank page before the content loads.
2. Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
Next.js allows you to render pages on the server. When a user requests a page, the server builds the HTML with all the data and sends a complete page to the browser.
- Benefit: Search engines can read your content immediately (Great SEO).
- Benefit: Users see content faster, even on slow devices.
3. Static Site Generation (SSG)
This is the fastest method. Next.js builds your pages once when you deploy your app. These pre-built HTML files are served instantly via a CDN (Content Delivery Network). This is perfect for blogs (like this one!), documentation, and marketing pages.
File-System Routing
In standard React, you often need complex libraries like react-router-dom to handle navigation. In Next.js, routing is based on your file structure.
If you create a file at app/about/page.tsx, it automatically becomes accessible at /about. It is intuitive, clean, and requires zero configuration.
Full-Stack Capabilities
Next.js is not just for the frontend. It allows you to write API Routes. You can create backend endpoints (like app/api/users/route.ts) that run Node.js code. This means you can query databases, handle authentication, and process payments without needing a separate backend server.
Conclusion
Next.js has become the industry standard for React development because it solves the hard problems—performance, SEO, and routing—out of the box. It allows you to focus on building your product rather than configuring your tools.
Ready to start? Open your terminal and run:
npx create-next-app@latest my-app