What is Next.js and what is it for?

React framework Next.js enables you to make dynamic websites and applications that are highly user-friendly and SEO-friendly. Next.js is considered to offer the best developer experience for creating feature-rich and production-ready applications.

Without requiring any additional setups, it includes built-in support for TypeScript, smart bundling, route prefetching, and hybrid rendering (both static and server-side).

Next.js and Jamstack

One of the most widely used React frameworks for creating lightning-fast, extremely SEO-friendly Jamstack websites is now called Next.js.

To achieve exceptional performance and SEO results, it may be seamlessly integrated with eCommerce systems or headless CMSes.

Our recommendation for those who want to learn more is to start with our article "Why Has Jamstack Become so Popular?"

What are the benefits of Next.js?

The goal of Next.js is to offer a superior developer experience and a multitude of built-in features.

Splitting Codes

Next.js automatically performs code splitting, which means that only the necessary code for each page is loaded. This way, when a user loads the homepage, the code for other pages isn't served initially, resulting in fast loading times for the homepage even if there are hundreds of pages on the website.

By loading only the code required for the requested page, Next.js ensures that the pages are isolated. This means that if one page throws an error, the rest of the application will still function properly.

Client-side Navigation

Next.js utilizes a simple file-based routing system, where routes are created as files under the "pages" directory, and developers can use the built-in Link component to link to them, without needing additional routing libraries.

Prefetching

Next.js automatically prefetches the code for a linked page in the background whenever a Link component is in the browser's viewport in a production build. This means that by the time a user clicks on the link, the code for the destination page is already loaded in the background, resulting in a near-instant page transition.

In order to achieve the greatest performance possible, Next.js automatically optimizes our application through code splitting, client-side navigation, and prefetching.

Pre-rendering

Every page is pre-rendered by Next.js by default. That is, instead of relying on client-side JavaScript to build HTML for each page, Next.js does so in advance. Pre-rendering may lead to improved SEO and performance.

The HTML generated for each page in Next.js comes with only the necessary JavaScript code for that page. After the page is loaded, its JavaScript code runs, making it fully interactive - this process is referred to as hydration.

Next.js offers two pre-rendering methods: Static Generation and Server-side Rendering, which differ in when they generate the HTML for a page. Static Generation pre-renders the HTML during the build time, which can then be reused on every request. On the other hand, Server-side Rendering pre-renders the HTML on each request.

With Next.js, we have the flexibility to choose the pre-rendering method for each page, which enables us to create a hybrid app. For instance, we can use Static Generation for most pages and opt for Server-side Rendering for others.

When building pages, it is preferable to use Static Generation (with or without data) whenever feasible because it allows the page to be constructed only once and served via CDN. This is much quicker than having a server render the page for every request.

Client-side Rendering

We can use a technique called Client-side Rendering, which is applicable when we don't require pre-rendering data, and it:

• This strategy involves pre-rendering the parts of the page that do not need external data using Static Generation. When the page is loaded, the remaining parts are populated by fetching external data using JavaScript on the client side.

Is there anything special about Next.js?

Since Next.js simplifies the process of building highly customizable websites, it has gained significant popularity in the developer’s community. Data loading into your pages is made effortless with Next.js' serverless or server functions. As a result, your website architecture is significantly simplified.

Unlike traditional React applications, Next.js allows queries on pages directly to CMS or databases, eliminating the need for a proxy server. This feature enables Next.js developers to concentrate on integrating their frontend with their preferred data source, without requiring extensive backend web development.

Next.js provides a variety of built-in tools commonly used in web applications, such as dynamic page routes, redirects, rewrites, middlewares, and i18n. These features enable developers to create solutions that meet the needs of businesses and contribute to their objectives.

The A/B content split testing and CMS-based page creation will be beneficial to marketers, while search engine optimizers will appreciate the fast page loading speed and the ability to fully customize metadata, such as Open Graph tags and structured data. Developers, on the other hand, will appreciate the flexibility to create new features using all the tools in the React ecosystem.

When building production-ready applications using React, Next.js is a suitable option as it is designed to simplify the process with its features, tooling, and configuration.

Next.js Development Services

This article has covered the various features of Next.js and explained why it's a good choice for building enterprise-level applications. If you're interested, we offer customized, high-speed applications tailored to your business needs using Next.js. Contact us to hire Next.js developers from Increasio!