By Next.js and React.js are both popular JavaScript frameworks used for building web applications, but they have distinct differences that make Next.js a better choice for certain types of projects. In this article, we will compare the two frameworks and explore the benefits of using Next.js over React.js.
First, it’s important to understand that Next.js is built on top of React.js, meaning that it utilizes the same component-based architecture as React. However, Next.js adds additional features and functionality that make it a more robust framework for building web applications.
One of the key benefits of Next.js is its built-in server-side rendering (SSR) capabilities. SSR allows web pages to be pre-rendered on the server before being delivered to the client. This improves the performance of web pages, especially for users with slow internet connections or on low-end devices. With Next.js, SSR is integrated into the framework, making it easy to set up and use. On the other hand, React.js requires additional libraries and setups to enable SSR, which can be complex and time-consuming.
Next.js also offers automatic code splitting, which means that it can automatically divide the code of an application into smaller chunks, and only load the necessary code for a specific page. This improves the performance of web pages, especially for large applications. React.js does not offer this feature out of the box, and it requires additional setup and configuration.
Another benefit of Next.js is its built-in development server, which provides a hot-reloading feature. This allows developers to see the changes they make to the code in real time, without the need to manually refresh the page. React.js does not offer this feature out of the box, and it requires additional setup and configuration.
Next.js also offers a built-in static site generation (SSG) feature, which allows developers to generate a static version of their web application. This can be useful for creating static landing pages or blog pages, or for generating a static version of an application to be served from a content delivery network (CDN). React.js does not offer this feature out of the box, and it requires additional setup and configuration.
In addition, Next.js has a great development experience, with a lot of plugins and tools available to help developers to improve their productivity. The framework also has a big community, which means that developers can find help and support easily.
In conclusion, Next.js is a more robust framework than React.js for building web applications. It offers built-in server-side rendering, automatic code splitting, a built-in development server, static site generation, and a great development experience. It also has a big community and many tools and plugins to make the development process more efficient. While React.js is a powerful framework for building web applications, Next.js takes it to the next level by providing additional features and functionality that can significantly improve the performance and development experience of web applications.