Next.js development 101
Tags: nextjs, webdev, beginners, javascript
Published: 2022-07-04 17:36:21

<p>Next.js is a popular open-source JavaScript framework for developing server-side rendered (SSR) React applications. It's easy to use and well supported, making it an attractive choice for web app development projects.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition, Next.js is a powerful tool that developers can use to create React applications. It offers several features that make development more accessible, such as automatic code splitting and server-side rendering.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It also provides several configuration options, meaning that developers can tailor the framework to their specific needs. This makes Next.js an attractive choice for both small and large projects.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this article, we'll look closely at Next.js and see how it can help you create efficient and user-friendly web applications.</span></p>
<div class="mce-toc">
<h2>Table of Contents</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpb">What is Next.js?</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpc">Next.js Features</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpd">Page-based routing</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpe">TypeScript support</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpf">Fast refresh</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpg">Static file serving</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lph">Compatibility with React</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpi">Why choose Next.js in your projects?</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpj">Technical benefits of Next.js</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpk">Business benefits of Next.js&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6nq48lpl">Next.js pros and cons</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6t8r35t7">What to build with Next.js</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6t8r35t8">Next.js vs Gatsby vs React</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6t8r35t9">Next.js and Jamstack</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6t8r35ta">Next.js in the wild</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6t8r35tb">Headstart Diary</a></li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6t8r35tc">Olifant Digital</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#mcetoc_1g6t8r35td">Closing thoughts</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpb"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What is Next.js?</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="https://cdn.aglty.io/bwql7jyk/upload/mceu_6426810711656509844432.png?w=800" alt="next js logo " /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Created by Vercel in 2016 as an alternative to React, Next.js is a framework that enables React applications to be used in two different ways: on the client side with its built-in rendering engine and&nbsp; by utilizing serverless technology and generating static websites from your dynamic frontend web application's codebase.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js' serverless approach ensures you can deploy websites using Vercel, sharply reducing hosting costs and increasing performance and site loading speeds. One of the cool things about Next.js is that it provides features for both the deployment and production stages of an application.&nbsp;</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></i></p>
<p><i>Pro tip: </i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Software development and deployment are two parts of the application building process. Web development is the iterative process of coding, testing, and revising. Deployment is making your website or web app available to the public.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the development stage, Next.js optimizes the application to provide a better developer experience while building the actual application. In addition, it offers developer-friendly tools like TypeScripty support, ESLint integration, Fast Refresh, and other tools that will make your developers drool with anticipation.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the production side, Next.js optimizes things for your visitors and end-users. It transforms the code developers created into an </span><a href="https://ikius.com/services/website-accessibility"><span style="font-weight: 400;">accessible</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, performant digital experience by pre-caching your content and optimizing images for fast loading.&nbsp;</span></p>
<h2 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpc"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js Features</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now that we've taken a long look at Next, let's dive deeper into its features.&nbsp;</span></p>
<h3 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpd"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Page-based routing</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To reduce the amount of code developers need to write, a Next.js project adopts a file routing mechanism so that when a .js or .jsx file is added to the /pages folder in your project, it becomes available as a route that can be accessed and queried by developers.&nbsp;</span></p>
<h3 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpe"><span style="font-weight: 400;">TypeScript support</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js, like React, provides an integrated TypeScript experience, including zero-configuration starters and built-in content types for pages, APIs, and routes.&nbsp;</span></p>
<h3 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fast refresh</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js is a robust framework that allows you to build scalable web apps easily, but one feature in particular can cut development times by more than 50%. In addition, fast refresh provides instant feedback on edits they make which helps avoid any issues due to lost state or confusion about what changes were made before re-evaluating output after typing away at your computer's keyboard for hours.</span></p>
<h3 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpg"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Static file serving</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Next.js, you can serve static files to specific pages and types of users. These static files include images, HTML pages, JavaScript code, and SVG images, among other file types.&nbsp;</span></p>
<h3 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lph"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Compatibility with React</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next takes advantage of knowing what will happen when it needs data, and saving resources by preloading this information before users make any request or change their browser tab. This cuts down load times significantly while still providing rich interactions through dynamic elements. One of these elements is&nbsp; JSON files that are stored locally and can be sent directly onto your backend without leaving these purely client based environments we call.</span></p>
<h2 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpi"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why choose Next.js in your projects?</span></h2>
<h3 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpj"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Technical benefits of Next.js</span></h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Incremental Static Regeneration:</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Put simply, static generation makes your website load faster. This technique allows Next.js developers to update existing pages by re-rendering them in the background as traffic comes in, making your static content into dynamic content.&nbsp;</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Solid community support: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even though React has a bigger community, Next.js community is huge and developers are always available to lend you a hand if you're stuck.&nbsp;</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Easy to create API routes: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js leverages Node.js serverless function to create API routes easily and quickly.&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpk"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Business benefits of Next.js&nbsp;</span></h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Great for SEO: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">With server-side rendering, you can create an interactive application with all the desired functionalities. The best part? It gives you SEO benefits without sacrificing any of your site's static content. This will help your content rank, give you more visibility in the search engines, and give you an excellent core web vitals score.&nbsp;</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Fast performance: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Using Next&rsquo;s framework can enhance your application's performance and user experience by keeping your loading speeds under 3 seconds. This saves users time when they look at the content on your website before clicking away in frustration due to poor loading speeds or other factors that affect their ability to succeed while browsing your web app sources.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Good-looking URLs: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js is adding a new feature to make it easier and more customizable for developers who want their social media pages to boot up quickly. With this, you can programmatically customize open graph meta titles on each page. This will also improve SEO because search engines love clear content with keywords in its title.&nbsp;</span></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="mcetoc_1g6nq48lpl"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js pros and cons</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></h2>
<!-- ######## This is a comment  ######## -->
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pros</span></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cons</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fast website building</span></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not too many plugins</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">SEO-friendly</span></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Requires a Nextjs developer&nbsp;</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Solid developer experience</span></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Routing can be tough</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">High accessibility</span></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Potentially slow build time</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Automatic image optimization</span></p>
</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2 id="mcetoc_1g6t8r35t7"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What to build with Next.js</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js shines when it comes to doing SSR and leveraging all of its features. As a result, Next&rsquo;s development is the perfect choice for websites that need major performance improvements. It can help with tasks like making remote requests or validating forms with hybrid suites even before sending them off for processing by an API backend layer instead, which can be located anywhere in your app's architecture you see fit.</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Large websites with user generated content: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js enables developers to build websites and apps capable of constantly refreshing data, making it perfect for websites that leverage user-generated content in real-time like TikTok.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Single page applications: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Single page applications dynamically fetch data from your </span><a href="https://ikius.com/services/headless-cms-development"><span style="font-weight: 400;">headless content management system</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and present it to your browser using Next.js, only rendering the bits of data you need and not the entire application and providing a better user experience.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>eCommerce stores: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Online stores can leverage Next.js routing to create and access pages on the go and make changes visible in seconds. Also, it's easy to integrate Next.js with modern website building practices and </span><a href="https://ikius.com/services/headless-ecommerce"><span style="font-weight: 400;">headless commerce</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> platforms to deliver omnichannel digital experiences.</span></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="mcetoc_1g6t8r35t8"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js vs Gatsby vs React</span></h2>
<table style="width: 100%; height: 601px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 50px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 50px;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js&nbsp;</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gatsby</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">React</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 68px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Application size</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Nextjs application is smaller than a React app</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smaller than a React application but bigger than a Next.js one</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A React application is bigger than a Nextjs app</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 68px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Developer experience</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Great&nbsp;</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Average&nbsp;</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Great</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 50px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maintainability</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Easy to maintain</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Easy to maintain</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hard to keep updated</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 68px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ideal use cases</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">eCommerce, company websites, static landing pages</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Blogs, static landing pages</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 68px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Single page applications, company websites, portals</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 50px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">SEO-friendly</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 50px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Documentation&nbsp;</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Excellent</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Excellent</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Average</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 50px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Plugin ecosystem</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Small</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bigger than Next.js</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bigger than others</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 47px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 47px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Internationalization</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 47px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 47px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 47px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 50px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Starter templates</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Limited</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yes</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Plenty</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 50px;">
<td style="width: 14.2993%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Community size</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 27.55%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Larger than Gatsby&rsquo;s</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 31.0772%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Large</span></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 26.9781%; height: 50px;">
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Huge&nbsp;</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you&rsquo;re still struggling with which one to choose for your next project, take a look at our article on </span><a href="https://ikius.com/blog/what-is-a-static-website"><span style="font-weight: 400;">how to choose a static site generator</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<h2 id="mcetoc_1g6t8r35t9"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js and Jamstack</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a </span><a href="https://ikius.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-jamstack-agency"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jamstack agency</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, we at Ikius are intimately familiar with Next.js. Nextjs development has plenty of advantages for developers and business users, with the added benefit of being one of the best technologies in a Jamstack tech stack.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js is a great option for companies and brands who want to build Jamstack-based digital experiences that are fast, scalable, and ultimately successful in serving thousands of visitors.&nbsp;</span></p>
<h2 id="mcetoc_1g6t8r35ta"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next.js in the wild</span></h2>
<h3 id="mcetoc_1g6t8r35tb"><a href="https://ikius.com/work/headstart-dairy"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Headstart Diary</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img src="https://cdn.aglty.io/bwql7jyk/upload/headstart-dairy.png?w=800" alt="headstart dairy home page built with next js" /></span></p>
<p>We worked with URUS to build an interactive marketing site with Next.js. The site includes interactive SVG animations to support Headstart Dairy's storytelling when you scroll through the site.</p>
<p>Creating an animated site with large SVG files where almost every SVG has its own individual component would be nearly impossible to create with a <a href="https://ikius.com/blog/jamstack-vs-wordpress">legacy content management system such as WordPress</a>. However, by using <a href="https://ikius.com/blog/what-is-jamstack">Jamstack</a> and a modern frontend framework, we can make the site work seamlessly on all devices.</p>
<h3 id="mcetoc_1g6t8r35tc"><a href="https://ikius.com/work/olifant-digital">Olifant Digital</a></h3>
<p><img src="https://cdn.aglty.io/bwql7jyk/upload/olifant-digital.png?w=800" alt="olifant digital home page built with next js" /></p>
<p>We worked with Olifant Digital to realize their vision for a highly optimized company site, polished to the tiniest detail. We optimized Olifant Digital's site to pass Google's Core Web Vitals and real experience score thresholds for multiple measurement tools.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Once the content was fully modeled on Dato CMS, we started working on developing the Front-end code with Next.js. Again, having a fully modeled <a href="https://ikius.com/blog/what-is-a-headless-cms">headless CMS</a> structure creates a foundation for efficient development.</p>
<h2 id="mcetoc_1g6t8r35td">Closing thoughts</h2>
<p>Next.js is a popular open-source frontend framework for developing server-side rendered (SSR) React applications. It's easy to use and well supported, making it an attractive choice for web app development projects.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Next.js is more widely adopted than <a href="https://ikius.com/services/gatsby-js-development">Gatsby</a> and is often a better choice for <a href="https://ikius.com/services/jamstack-development">Jamstack development</a> projects. This is because it's less opinionated on how you'll source data, where you'll deploy your app, and how you'll build your project.</p>
<p>It provides essential building blocks out of the box to get you started quickly. If you're looking for a robust framework that gives you the freedom to make decisions about architecture and deployment yourself, Next.js is the right choice for you.</p>
<p>If you're interested in Next, take a look at our <a href="https://ikius.com/services/next-js-development">Next.js development services</a> to see how we can help you bring your project to life.</p>
<p></p>