A Quick Look at Next.js?
Getting Started with Next.js
Next.js has grabbed the attention of developers across the world for its easy-to-use interface, fast performance, and a plethora of features. As a framework designed for server-rendered applications, Next.js offers dynamic routing, server-side rendering, Webpack integration, and many pre-built features that save time and massively speed up development.
In this article, we'll cover what Next.js is, why developers love it, and provide an overview of its core features.
What is Next.js?
Next.js is a React framework built for server-rendered React applications. With Next.js, all the React application builds, speed optimization, and bundle analysis are provided through their custom server infrastructure. This makes it easy for developers to enjoy the advantages of server-rendered applications without the typical pain points like managing multiple servers or performance issues.
Why Developers Love Next.js
One of the favorite features of developers when it comes to Next.js is the data pre-fetching mechanism, commonly referred to as static site generation in other applications. Instead of waiting for browsers to execute JavaScript and load specific pages, Next.js containers bring data supplying at the very finest possible level through owning a structure that provides your content in plain text ahead of gaining access.
This mechanism ensures consistent hydration and indexing for search engine crawlers are optimally cached to maximize performance.
Moreover, the custom Next.js server is designed in a progressive fashion i.e., its backend dynamics establish on a React-like style which assists in bridging pain points between client-server side rendering.
Lastly, Next.js is an open-source library that encourages collaboration for feature improvements and benefits from the constant injection of community-built plugins and extensions.
Core Features
Automatic Code Splitting
With Next.js, files added under a pages folder benefit automatically from automatic code splitting, eliminating the meta-work that would be needed to manually split assets and decide which go where. These assets only get fetched or downloaded as per request and there is no need to bundle a production server-rendered application diminishing the use of a minimized user resulting in the acceleration of page loads.
Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
Next.js renders all the pages on the client-side or server-side automatically that result in pages rendering two times faster -which leads web developers to enjoy quicker-performing sites without having an extra need to take care of these allocations themselves
Image Optimization/Responsive Images
In modern web frameworks, image optimization is KING - and now in Next.js, image optimization is built-in making developers particularly grateful., Unlike other resources hub wherein larger chunks faze downs each, that's what bottom ends upon savings in your website or application loading speeds. With Next.js incorporating picture reduction functions feel slim.
It is done by externally running all images through the “Image Service” using the leading Optimized Images rewriting, remarking, and employing 1024px as a default resolution if your styles indicate an explicitly described proportional width.
Conclusion
Next.js has its sharable value which characterizes day-to-day life with software development. Focusing on an improved performance model, compounded by inline weighting towards automation and increased productivity, especially used with importance upon immersive single or multi-page sites.
If you want to learn more about Next.js or need help setting it up, check out this (tutorial). Happy coding!
