What is Next.js: Understanding the Framework Shaping the Future of Web Development

Next.js is a very popular react-based framework for building server-side rendered web applications. It was created by Vercel, formerly known as Zeit, and has gained popularity due its simplicity, performance and flexibility. In this blog, we’ll explore what Next.js is, why it’s worth considering for your next project, and how it can benefit your development workflow.

What is Next.js?

Next.js is a React-based framework that provides a set of tools and conventions
for building server-side rendered web applications. It was created to solve some of the problems that developers face when building web applications with React. One of the key benefits of Next.js is that it allows you to write server-side code and client-side code in the same file, which makes it easier to share logic between the two.

Next.js also comes with the number of built in features that makes it easy to create fast, SEO friendly websites. For example, Next.js optimizes your application by automatically code-splitting, which means that it loads only the necessary code for each page, resulting in faster load times. Additionally, it comes in with a built in dynamic routing system, so you can easily create pages with dynamic URLs and parameters.

Why Use Next.js?

There are several reasons why you might want to consider using Next.js for your next web project.

• Better Performance

Next.js allows you to build web applications that load faster, thanks to its automatic code-splitting and optimized performance. By pre-rendering pages on the server side, Next.js can improve the initial load times of your application and reduce the amount of work required by the client side javascript.

• Improved SEO

Search engine optimization ( SEO ) is an important consideration for any website, and Next.js makes it easier to optimize your site for search engines. Because Next.js pre-renders pages on the server side, search engines can crawl and index your website more easily, resulting in better rankings.

• Simplified Development

Next.js comes with a number of built-in features that makes it easier to develop web applications. For example, it includes a build-in-routing system that makes it easy to create dynamic pages with parameters. Additionally it provides automatic code splitting, which can save you time and effort when optimizing your application for performance.

• Flexibility

Next.js is a flexible framework that can be used to build a wide range of applications. It works well with other popular frameworks and tools, including React, Redux, and GraphQL, and it can be used to build applications of any size and complexity.

How can Next.js Benefit Your Development Workflow ?

Next.js can benefit your development workflow in several ways:

• Faster development times

Next.js can help you build web applications faster by simplifying many common development tasks. It comes with a number of built in features that makes it easy to create dynamic pages, handle data fetching, and optimize your application for performance.

• Easier maintenance

Because Next.js encourages a modular approach to development, it can be easier to maintain your application over time. By breaking your application down into smaller components, you can isolate and fix bugs more easily, and make changes to your application with less risk of introducing new bugs.

• Improved Collaboration

Next.js can help improve collaboration among developers by providing a consistent set of tools and conventions. By using Next.js, you can ensure that all the developers in your team are using the same tools and approaches, which can make it easier to share the code and collaborate on projects.

How to Create a Next.js App ?

If you have NPM installed already.

npx create-next-app my-app

It will create a Next project for us with all the dependencies installed.
To run you next project in development, navigate to the project folder and the script

npm run dev