React JS has been the go-to front-end framework for web developers since its release in 2013. However, in recent years, Next.js has emerged as a popular alternative to React for building web applications. In this blog post, we will discuss the difference between Next js and React js. While both frameworks share a lot of similarities, they also have significant differences in their approach to building web applications.
Table of Contents
What is React JS?
React JS is an open-source JavaScript library that was created by Facebook in 2013. It is a component-based library that enables developers to build complex and interactive user interfaces using reusable components. React uses a virtual DOM, which allows it to efficiently update the user interface in response to changes in data or user input.
For more information on React here is the link to their official website
What is Next JS?
Next.js is an open-source web framework for building server-side rendered (SSR) and statically generated web applications. It is built on top of React and Node.js and provides a set of features that make it easier to build and deploy web applications. With Next.js, developers can create highly performant and SEO-friendly web applications that can be easily scaled.
For more information on Next here is the link to their official website
Difference between Next JS and React JS
Let us now take a look into important parameters that helps us find the difference between next js and react js
- Routing
React.js is a client-side framework, which means that it relies on the browser to handle routing. This can make it difficult to create SEO-friendly URLs and can cause performance issues when handling large amounts of traffic. In contrast, Next.js provides built-in server-side routing, which allows developers to create SEO-friendly URLs and handle traffic more efficiently.
- Server-side Rendering
One of the main advantages of Next.js over React.js is its ability to perform server-side rendering (SSR) out of the box. SSR means that the server generates the HTML content for each page, which provides a faster initial load time and better SEO performance. React.js does not provide SSR out of the box, but it can be achieved with the use of third-party libraries.
- File-Based Routing
Next.js provides file-based routing, which means that each page of the application corresponds to a file in the file system. This makes it easy for developers to organize their code and create new pages. React.js, on the other hand, does not provide file-based routing, and developers need to create their own routing system using third-party libraries.
- API Routes
Next.js provides built-in API routes, which allows developers to create serverless functions that can be used to handle API requests. This eliminates the need for a separate server to handle API requests and provides a more efficient way to handle data. React.js does not provide built-in API routes, but they can be created using third-party libraries.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both Next.js and React.js are powerful frameworks for building web applications. React.js is a client-side library that provides a flexible and scalable approach to building user interfaces. Next.js, on the other hand, is a server-side framework that provides built-in server-side rendering, routing, and API routes. Depending on the requirements of your web application, you may choose to use either Next.js or React.js.
Want to learn more about other front end frameworks? Click hear to read Angular vs React vs Vue
