Skip to main content

What is Nextjs?

Next.js is a powerful and robust open-source development framework that's built on top of Node.js. It allows developers to build server-side rendered and static web applications using React. This framework combines the advantages of both JavaScript and React, providing a rich environment for building scalable, fast, and SEO-friendly web applications.

Features of Next.js​

Here are some of the key features that make Next.js stand out:

  1. Server-side Rendering (SSR): With Next.js, you can render your React components on the server-side before sending them to the client. This results in faster page load times and better SEO performance.

  2. Static Site Generation (SSG): Next.js also supports static site generation. This means you can pre-render your pages at build time and serve them as static HTML files. This is especially useful for sites with content that doesn't change often.

  3. Hot Code Reloading: Next.js comes with hot code reloading out of the box, so your changes will automatically update in the app without having to manually refresh the page.

  4. Built-in CSS Support: Next.js has built-in support for CSS and Sass, so you don't need to configure loaders or plugins to start using these in your app.

  5. API Routes: Next.js allows you to create API routes in your application, which can be used for building your APIs.

  6. Optimized Bundle Splitting: Next.js automatically splits your code into various bundles, so users only load what's necessary for the current page. This results in faster page loads.

How Does Next.js Work?​

Next.js works by rendering your React components on the server-side first, and then sending the result to the client. This process is known as server-side rendering (SSR). It helps improve the performance of your application and makes it more SEO-friendly.

When a user navigates to a page in your Next.js application, the server will render the React components for that page into HTML and send it to the browser. The browser will then display the HTML while Next.js rehydrates the React components in the background.

Getting Started with Next.js​

To get started with Next.js, you need to have Node.js and npm installed on your computer. Once you have these installed, you can create a new Next.js application by running the following commands in your terminal:

npx create-next-app@latest your-app-name
cd your-app-name
npm run dev

The create-next-app command will create a new Next.js application with a default starter template. You can then run npm run dev to start your application in development mode.

In conclusion, Next.js is a great choice for developers who want to leverage the power of React and JavaScript to build scalable, fast, and SEO-friendly web applications. Its support for server-side rendering, static site generation, and built-in CSS support make it a versatile and powerful framework for web development.