Next.js
Next.js is an open-source web framework used for creating, server-side rendered React applications. It has become increasingly popular in the React community because of its simplicity of use and performance.
Web developers often use Next.js to enhance the performance and speed of built web apps thanks to server-side rendering and automatic code splitting. It can also boost the website's search engine optimisation (SEO), making it more discoverable and accessible to users. Next.js built-in features such as intuitive nested routing, full TypeScript support, and many built-in performance optimisations help websites achieve good Core Web Vitals. What's more, Next.js is a very flexible framework, allowing skilled developers to use it for building simple static websites as well as complex, dynamic, server-side rendered web apps. The Next.js community has flourished and constantly grows and supports the framework’s ecosystem development. Both offer plugins, tools, and resources that make development faster and more efficient.
There are some simple dos and don'ts regarding using Next.js efficiently. Firstly, take advantage of server-side rendering when building pages with dynamic content or frequently updated data. It will shorten the load times and improve SEO. And if you want to achieve even higher performance and efficiency, use the built-in features Next.js offers such as automatic code splitting or optimised image loading. You should also start using API routes and data fetching methods built in Next.js to optimise back-end integrations.
As for things to watch out for, Next.js is a very opinionated framework. If you choose to use it, you are signing up for a whole package – with all the advantages and drawbacks. Next.js forces you to use it in a predefined way, so don't expect a lot of room for custom solutions. Next.js also lacks routing system flexibility. Page-based routing is great for small websites, but if you want to use it for big web applications, you’ll have to write some additional code.
Next.js is a powerful development tool with many built-in features and full support for technologies like TypeScript, Sass, and CSS-in-JS. It allows developers to build high-performance, optimised, scalable web apps with server-side rendering and better SEO optimisation.
