What is Next.js and why use it. A Quick Overview?

Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of JavaScript
• Basic idea of React (components, props)

What you will learn

• What Next.js actually is (not just a buzzword)
• Why it exists when React already exists
• The core benefits of using Next.js
• When Next.js is better than plain React
• Real examples where Next.js shines

Explanation (theory)

Next.js is a React framework.

React is only the UI library (building components).
Next.js adds the important missing things around it:

• routing
• server components
• backend API routes
• data fetching
• SEO support
• page rendering modes (SSR / SSG)
• performance features (caching, image optimization)

So the simplest definition is:

Next.js = React + Routing + Backend + SSR + Performance

Why not just React?

With React you must manually decide:

• how to fetch data
• how to do routing
• how to generate pages
• how to make SEO work
• how to structure backend

These decisions cost TIME.

Next.js provides defaults and best practices out of the box.

Key Reasons to use Next.js

Example Code

Example of how simple a route is:

// app/about/page.tsx
export default function About() {
  return <h1>About Page</h1>
}