Next.js vs React: Which Front-End Framework Is Better?
Written byRajkumar Ramakrishnan
Advancing technology has contributed to evolving the front-end web development. These days, many powerful tools are available in the market that not only facilitates the web development process but also remain useful in building excellent user interfaces (UIs). In this article, we will compare two such JavaScript-based platforms or tools- next vs react. We will also dig deep into their features and importance in front-end development.
Let’s start with the Next.js framework.
What is Next.js?
Next.js is a minimalistic framework for creating server-rendered applications based on React. It is designed to be simple and easy to use, yet powerful enough to handle complex applications. Next.js ships with built-in CSS and JS support, and it can be extended with a variety of plugins and libraries. Next.js is also framework-agnostic, meaning it can be used with React, Angular, or any other front-end framework. In addition, Next.js comes with a number of features that make it well suited for building large-scale applications, such as code splitting and server-side rendering. Overall, Next.js is a great choice for any developer looking for a simple and scalable way to build server-rendered React applications.
Advantages of Next.js
Assuming you’re already familiar with React, you know that one of its major advantages is that it makes building dynamic user interfaces simpler than ever. But what if you could take that a step further? That’s where Next.js comes in.
Next.js is a React framework that provides a number of benefits over traditional React development, including
Faster development – thanks to features like automatic code splitting and built-in CSS support, Next.js makes it easy to develop complex React applications quickly.
Enhanced user experience – with features like server-side rendering and client-side hydration, Next.js makes it easy to create rich, immersive user experiences.
SEO-friendly – thanks to features like automatic generation of static pages, Next.js makes it easy to create search engine friendly React applications.
Super fast rendering – thanks to features like incremental server-side rendering and Babel integration, Next.js makes it possible to render React applications at blazing fast speeds.
Simply put, if you’re looking for a way to take your React development to the next level, look no further than Next.js! But, it does not mean that Next.js has no cons! Let’s go through the major disadvantages of Next.js.
Disadvantages of Next.js
These are basically inherent features of the Next.js tool rather than its disadvantages. All tools have some aspects that are more or less friendly from the developer’s perspective. Here are two major aspects of Next.js that can be considered cons of Next.js.
Routing- The routing system in this tool is a file system that is not sufficient for some complex web development projects. As a powerful tool to create dynamic routes, Next.js requires more proficiency to use it properly.
Community– The developer community keeps on increasing every day as Next.js has become one of the most used tools for front-end web development. The talent pool and the overall demand for well-versed developers in Next.js are steadily increasing to open the doors of new opportunities for ambitious developers.
What is Next.js Used For?
Next.js is useful for building highly customizable, fast, and SEO-friendly applications. It is fair to mention that if the development team works with React and is ready to add a new tool to their workflow, Next.js is the right tool. Categorically, Next.js is useful for building customized eCommerce websites, landing pages, and marketing websites.
What is preferable- Next.js or React? It is necessary to go through the advantages, disadvantages, and features of React.js to find the answer to this question. We will start from scratch and get the introduction to React.js.
Key Features of Next.js
01Support for TypeScript
js extensively supports TypeScript, a programming language built on JavaScript. It is one of the reasons why Next.js is becoming highly popular among developers.
02Redux Support
As a highly configurable tool, Next.js offers simple routing to developers. It is as simple as creating folders for web developers. Data Fetching- js has two types of pre-rendering for managing data. One is Server-side Rendering (SSR) and the other is Static Generation.
03High Configurability
As a highly configurable tool, Next.js offers simple routing to developers. It is as simple as creating folders for web developers.
04Data Fetching
js has two types of pre-rendering for managing data. One is Server-side Rendering (SSR) and the other is Static Generation.
What is React js?
Built and supported by Facebook, React is a JavaScript library for developing interactive UIs. It has various components that can receive the input data and render the display. It is possible to build complex UIs with the help of rich data through React. As one of the most popular front-end development libraries React is used along with React Native and Reux for building complex, enterprise-grade mobile applications.
Advantages of React js
Here are the top reasons that make React.js a preferred choice of front-end developers.
- Growing Community- js has a strong community consisting of dedicated developers. As a result, it has many learning and development resources available for a seamless process.
- Easy Coding- React makes web application development easy by using JavaScript. Developers can easily create dynamic applications with less code in a short time.
- High Customization- As React is a library, it includes a set of functionalities that can be expanded and customized with ease.
- Reusable Components- js has reusable components that enable the platform to be used on different pages while keeping its basic characteristics intact. Once developers edit the component code, they can see the change across all the pages.
Disadvantages of React js
One of the most important shortcomings of React.js is it is mainly useful for developing UIs, and therefore, it is necessary to use other tools to make the most of this tool. Another drawback is that React.js has short development cycles that make the available documents outdated soon. Though the tool has a strong and growing community of developers, it is imperative to relearn its features continuously.
What is react js Used For?
React.js is helpful in developing dynamic and SEO-friendly websites, mobile applications, dashboards, single-page applications (SPAs), and visualization tools. Facebook, Reddit, Airbnb, and Netflix are some of the top applications made with React. It is an easy-to-learn JS library for developers who has command over JavaScript. Here are the top features of React.js.
Features of React.js
01JSX (JavaScript XML)
In React.js, JSX is a markup syntax that describes the appearance of the app’s interface. It makes syntax like HTIML and enables developers to create React components.
02Virtual DOM
It assists the tool to speed up the app development process while offering flexibility to developers. The original DOM is represented by a virtual DOM in React.js.
03One-way Data Binding
React uses a unidirectional flow of data that forces developers to use the callback feature. It prevents them to edit components directly. Flux is an app architecture component that controls the data flow from a single point.
04Component-based Architecture
All the applications built by React.js has several components with specific logic. These components are written in JS and developers can easily relay the data across the app thanks to these components.
05Declarative UI
It makes the React code more readable and easier. React.js is the best platform for building attractive and engaging UIs for both web and mobile applications.
What is the difference between React js and Next JS?
The fundamental difference between React.js and NextJS is- React is a JavaScript library to build customized UIs whereas Next.js is a production framework for the React tool. In other words, React does not require Next.js but Next.js needs React to deploy applications. React has a dedicated framework known as Create React App (CRA). On the other hand, Next.js is a React-based framework to build server-side rendered applications.
Next.js provides developers with a structure and better rendering features. It works on top of React as the React framework for production. It can use many tools and resources including Redux or Hooks.
Frequently asked questions
As mentioned above, Next JS is a framework that holds React. Comparing React to Next JS or vice versa, all we can say is Next JS is useful for creating web applications by performing server-side rendering as a backend tool while React Native remains a front-end tool for building a native application.
Yes, developers can use NextJS and React together because NextJS is a useful framework for developing React applications. NextJS offers features like server-side rendering, static exporting options, and easy production builds to developers while making React applications.
Well, the answer to this question is based on the types and goals of the project. When it comes to Next.js vs React, it is better to ask whether Next.js is a good choice to build a React application. Unarguably, Next.js and React are the two most important building blocks for the front-end development that support digital experience collectively. They can ensure better performance of web applications with reduced development costs and higher productivity.