Next.js vs React? It's A Partnershipand Not an Competition (r) (r)

Feb 10, 2023
Illustration: Developers evaluating Next.js and React.

In this blog, we'll take a look at Next.js along with React in order to determine which one is best for the next task you're doing.

Next.js along with React JavaScript on the Next Level

 Chart showing the number of programmers using various languages suggests many are wondering about Next.js vs React.
Slash/Data study of the languages used by programmers by 2022. (Source: Statista)

The broadness of JavaScript is the reason that an understanding of all the most frequently used tools are essential to your success as web-based developers.

What is Next.js?

Next.js is among the top experiences for developers when it comes to creating fast, SEO-friendly applications. There are a few aspects of Next.js that make it an outstanding framework for production.

  • Hybrid rendering capabilities
  • Automatic code splitting
  • Image optimization
  • Built-in support for CSS preprocessors as well as CSS-in-JS libraries.
  • Built-in routing

Those features assist Next.js developers save considerable time during setting up and implementing. You can begin creating your app, and it could be used to aid initiatives like:

  • Ecommerce stores
  • Blogs
  • Dashboards
  • Single-page applications
  • Interact user interfaces
  • Websites that have static web pages with static

How do you React?

React is a JavaScript library used to create dynamic user interfaces. In addition to making web-based user interfaces, it's also possible to create mobile applications with React Native.

React has many benefits. React includes:

  • Enhancements in performance Instead of updating every component of the DOM React makes use of an imaginary DOM that updates only the changed components.
  • Component-driven:Once you create a component, you can use it again and again.
  • Debugging quickly React applications use unidirectional data flow - between the parent and child components.

Next.js vs React

Though developers frequently utilize Next.js and React for the same purpose however there is a essential differences between the two.

Ease of Use

To use Next.js the most fundamental method is:

Create-next-App

If there aren't any additional arguments for create-next-app The installation process is carried out in an interactive manner. It asks you to provide the correct name for your project (which will serve as the directory of your project), and whether you would like to give an option to run TypeScript in addition to the code linter ESLint.

The look will be similar to this:

Screenshot of a Next.js application being created with npx.
Create the Next.js application using interactive mode.

After launching the React instances, the easiest procedure is to include a name for the project's directory.

npx create-react-app new-app

It is the result of a folder with all necessary configurations for initial setups as well as dependencies.

Screenshot of a React project being created with npx.
Create the React project using the command line of the terminal.

The two make it easy to begin, but keep the fact that Next.js is constructed on top of React. This means that you cannot learn Next.js without understanding React and comprehending the way it works. It's a good thing, React is a relatively easy to learn curve that is ideal for novices.

Additionally, it's important to remember that React is not structured. Install and configure an React router and choose how to manage data fetching, image optimization, and code-splitting. This configuration requires the installation and configuration of further libraries and other tools.

In contrast, Next.js comes with these tools installed and ready-to-use. In the case of Next.js, any file placed in its Pages folder is automatically used as a way. Because of this functionality built-in, Next.js is easier to utilize every day, and allows you to start coding your app's logic right away.

Next.js and React capabilities

Because Next.js is built upon React and React.js, they share certain similarities with regards to the features. But, Next.js goes a step over and includes additional capabilities such as code splitting, routing pre-rendering and API integration straight out of the box. These are the features must be set up with React.

Data Fetching

React displays data from the side of the client. It sends static data to the browser. The browser pulls information from APIs in order to populate the application with data. It reduces the performance of the app and results in a bad customer experience because the application is slow to run. Next.js could solve this problem with the pre-rendering procedure.

Pre-rendering is when servers make the required API calls and retrieves the required information before delivering apps to the user. When the browser is opened it will be able to display pages from the web server.

Here's an example of the way Next.js makes pages that do not depend upon any information:

function App() return Welcome export default App

To build static websites that utilize external data, use to use the GetStaticProps() function. After you have exported the staticprops() from a page, Next.js will pre-render the page by using the props that it has returned. The function runs always in the server. Thus, it is recommended to make use of it to getStaticProps() when you need to know what data is present at time of creation. For example, you can make use of it to retrieve blog posts from the CMS.

const Posts= (Posts) Export const GetStaticProps for an async () *

If your page's paths are dependent on data sources other than the one you are using, utilize to use the obtainStaticPaths() function. To create a path depending on the ID of the article it is possible to export staticPaths() from the page.

For example, you might export staticPaths.getStaticPaths. () comes from pages/posts/[id].js as shown in the following screenshot.

export Export GetStaticPaths = async() *

getStaticPaths() is often paired by GetStaticProps(). In this instance, it's feasible to utilize the function getStaticProps() to fetch data about the ID within the path.

export const getStaticProps = async ( params ) => const post = await getSinglePost(params.id); return props: post ; ;

In SSR the information is downloaded according to the specified moment and sent to the web browser. In order to use SSR you must convert obtainServerSide() props function on the page you want to render. This function is invoked by the server each time a request is executed, which makes SSR suitable for sites which use dynamic data.

Particularly, you can make use of it to retrieve details from APIs to get information on the news.

const News = ( data ) => return ( // render data ); ; export async function getServerSideProps() const res = await fetch(`https://app-url/data`) const data = await res.json() return props: data 

The information is downloaded each time a request is made and sent through props to News component by props.

Code Splitting

Code splitting is the process of splitting codes into pieces that the browser can load at any time. It reduces the amount of code sent to the browser in the initial load since the server sends only what the user needs. Bundlers such as Webpack, Rollup, and Browserify allow code splitting within React.

Next.js allows code splitting right out of the box.

With Next.js the pages are split into code. Adding pages to the app does reduce the size of the bundle. Next.js also supports dynamic imports. It allows users to import JavaScript modules and load them dynamically during runtime. Dynamic imports help speed up speed of pages since bundles load lazy.

In the section titled Home, the section that follows the server, it won't include the hero component in the bundle created.

const DynamicHero = dynamic(() => import('../components/Hero'), suspense: true, ) export default function Home() return ( ) 

In this scenario this scenario, the suspense's Fallback element will be rendered before the hero component is loaded.

API Integration with Next.js against React

It is possible to, for example, build an API route, for instance pages/api/user.js API route that returns the name of the user in the following manner:

export default function user(req, res) res.status(200).json( username: 'Jane' ); 

If you visit the https://app-url/api/user URL, you will see the username object.

 username: 'Jane' 

API routes are useful in situations where you wish to conceal the web address of a website that you access or to protect your environment variables without the need to write an entire backend application.

Performance

Next.js is certainly superior in its capability to make applications that are more effective and efficient using a simple process. SSR along with SSG Next.js applications are more efficient than the rendering on the client side (CSR) React applications. In addition to fetching data from the server, and then transferring it all needed to the browser in order to render it, Next.js eliminates the need to send a data fetch request through APIs. This means that load times are faster.

Next.js includes font optimizations, smart bundle optimization, route prefetching, as well as bundling. The features aren't yet available within React.

Assistance

Since React has existed for longer than Next.js and also has a bigger community. Yet, many React developers are embracing Next.js and the growth of the community continues to increase. Developers can more readily find solutions already in place to the issues they run into instead of having to build the solution themselves.

Next.js is also a great guide with comprehensive illustrations that are easy to learn. Despite its popularity, React documentation is not nearly as user-friendly as Next.js's documentation.

Summary

The selection of Next.js or React comes down to the application's needs.

Next.js improves the performance of React through providing structure and tools that enhance efficiency. The tools such as code splitting, routing and image optimization, are integrated into Next.js and the developers do not need manual configuration of anything. With these capabilities, Next.js is easy to utilize, and developers are able to begin coding the business logic when they're prepared.

Because of the many rendering options, Next.js can be utilized for rendering server-side applications as well as applications that blend static generation with Node.js rendering via the server. In addition, because of the optimization features offered by Next.js, it's perfect for websites that need to be quick, such as e-commerce stores.

React is a JavaScript library that will aid you in the creation and development of effective front-end software. Its syntax is straightforward to grasp, especially for those who have a JavaScript background. In addition, you are in control over the tools you use in your application and the way you create them.

  • Easy setup and administration of My Dashboard. My dashboard
  • Support is available 24 hours a day.
  • The best Google Cloud Platform hardware and network that is powered by Kubernetes to ensure maximum capacity
  • Enterprise-level Cloudflare integration that speeds up speed and security
  • The global reach of this reach of the audience can be as wide as approximately 35 data centers and over 275 PoPs around the world

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