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
| feature | benefit |
|---|---|
| File-based routing | no React Router setup |
| SSR (Server-Side Rendering) | better SEO + faster first load |
| App Router | simple folder-based pages |
| Built-in API Routes | backend + frontend in same project |
| Performance optimizations | images, fonts, caching |
| Server Components | faster, less JS shipped to browser |
Example Code
Example of how simple a route is:
// app/about/page.tsx
export default function About() {
return <h1>About Page</h1>
}