Why Use Next.js Over React.js? Exploring the Benefits of Server-Side Rendering and More

In the current world of web development, React.js and Next.js have an important place. Though both are utilized in the development of web apps, there are key differences between the two. 

React is a robust JavaScript library that is used in developing interfaces (UI), and Next.js is a framework that is built on top of React. It aims to tackle the most typical problems developers are facing when building apps using React, such as poor SEO performance, routing , etc. 

But what makes Next.js stand out? In this post, we’ll look at some reasons why you might choose to use Next.js in React, including features like server-side rendering (SSR), static site generation, routing, and more.

What is Next.js?

Now let’s see a quick overview of what Next.js is and what is Next.js mainly used for?

Next.js is a React framework. Next.js simplifies the development process by handling common challenges like routing, server-side rendering (SSR), static site generation (SSG), image optimization, and more. 

Unlike React, which focuses only on building user interfaces, Next.js provides a full-stack solution for building performant, SEO-friendly web applications with minimal configuration.

Next.js lets developers write features without having to worry about configuring routing or performance optimization in “complex” configurations. Its main aim is to help you build web applications much faster, with a stronger out-of-the-box experience than React.

Why use NextJS instead of React?

When choosing the best front-end frameworks, React and Next.js are top choices for many developers. While React is awesome for creating UIs, Next.js is the one that adds some additional features, and it is a complete package for full-stack apps. Next, let’s look into some of the key features of what makes Next.js so compelling for developers:

1. Automatic Routing (File-Based Routing)

One of the key differences between Next.js and React is how routing is handled. In React, you typically have to configure a routing system, such as React Router, to handle navigation between pages. This requires you to set up routes manually, which can get complicated as your app grows..

Next.js, in contrast, uses file-based routing. It can be inferred that the routing is set up for you based on the file structure in your project. When you add a file to the pages folder (pages directory), it is instantly configured as a new path for your app. This is a very nice feature that makes setting up routes a lot easier and more intuitive.

2. Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

Server-side rendering is one of Next.js’s major selling points. With this, the HTML page is rendered on the server, and now the server sends the HTML page to the client side, which is proven to be much faster and can be better for SEO compared to CSR (client-side rendering).

Unless you explicitly tell it to do server-side rendering, React does CSR, which means that the browser has to download and run the JavaScript before it gets to see anything. CSR is fast, but less than ideal for SEO because not all search engines’ bots can accurately index dynamic content. The SSR feature resolves this by completely sending a rendered page to the browser.

Next.js makes SSR easy to implement. You can retrieve data before the page is rendered on the server. This may increase your page load speed and help search engines crawl your content.

3. Static Site Generation (SSG)

Another strong feature of Next.js is that it offers SSG. With the help of this feature, you can pre-build static HTML pages that too at build time. This can greatly increase page load speed.

Though you can create a site with React using something like Gatsby, Next. js itself supports SSG, making it easier to export pages in a static HTML format. This is good for things like pages that don’t need to display updated data or that can be pre-rendered at build time.

4. API Routes

Next.js makes it easier to build full-stack applications by allowing you to create API routes directly within your Next.js app. That is to say, you don’t need to have a separate backend server/API for fetching data and other server-side computations.

API routes are treated as serverless functions that can be added by placing files in the pages/api directory. This way, you can simplify your app architecture and avoid dealing with lots of services.

5. Image Optimization

Next.js also supports built-in image optimization features for quicker loading. The images are responsive too: they are served in the optimal format (like WebP or JPEG) and resized according to the user’s device. This can have a big impact on performance, particularly on mobile devices where connections might not be as fast.

However, in React, you’d have to optimize images yourself, and that can be tiresome. This is why Next.js is gaining rapid popularity. So, if you are in need of a web app, make sure to hire web app developers with a strong understanding of Next.js in order to build powerful and feature-rich web applications.

When to Use Next.js Over React?

Now that we know the features that make Next.js worth seeking out, let’s talk about when it would make sense to use Next.js over React.

1. SEO and Performance Optimization

If you’re developing a web application that heavily depends on search engine optimization (SEO) as well as being server-side rendered, Next.js is a great choice. Next.js with server-side rendering and static site generation is a strong contender that allows us to easily create link-worthy pages that are fully crawlable by search engines. This can result in improved search rank and increased visibility for your application.

Additionally, Next.js makes sites faster by serving a statically rendered page to the browser, without JavaScript, a more optimized page that loads faster! This is especially critical for performance-focused apps where load times can make or break the user experience.

2. Complex or Full-Stack Web Apps

Next.js is the right choice for creating complex web applications which demand both front-end and back-end requirements. Features like API routes and built-in routing make building and deploying full-stack apps without a separate backend server a possibility. This can make your development flow much easier and make managing your project simple for you.

3. Static Sites and Blogs

Next.js is also incredibly well-suited for static sites, blogs, or content-heavy websites, as it supports static site generation. You can pre-render your pages at build time for faster page load and other SEO benefits.

Conclusion

Though the popularity of React continues to grow as the favored tool for building UIs, Next.js also provides a set of powerful features that can make it more complete than just creating a modern web application. 

Whether we’re talking server-side rendering or static site generation, API routes or image optimization, Next.js solves a lot of typical problems you encounter in building web applications, so you can concentrate on writing good code.

If you are working on a complex, performance-critical project or want better SEO, Next.js will be a more appropriate choice. It provides a much cleaner development experience and you have fewer configurations compared to just using React.

Whether you’re constructing a small basic site or an application of any size, Next.js has the features and optimizations you need to get your web applications well on the way to running faster and more SEO friendly.