NextJS vs React:Which Framework to Choose for Front-End Development? - GeeksforGeeks (2024)

NextJS is a framework of React that enhances its server-side rendering, automatic code splitting, and simplified routing, while React is a frontend library of JavaScript that is used for developing interactive user interfaces and building UI components.

NextJS is optimized for production with easier setup for SSR, making it ideal for scalable applications. React, while powerful, requires additional configuration for similar capabilities without Next.js’s out-of-the-box features. This article explains the differences between NextJS and React in detail.

What is React?

React is an open-source library built by Facebook to create the best User Interfaces for web applications. The library allows the developers to write code once and use it anywhere, anytime, and an unlimited no of times. The library used JavaScript to create its components but can also be created by using TypeScript. The library has become more popular among developers nowadays but many of them are shifting to use the next popular framework Next.

Features:

• JSX(JavaScript Syntax Extension):
• Virtual DOM
• One-way Data Binding
• Performance

1. JSX (JavaScript Syntax Extension)

JSXis a combination of HTML and JavaScript. You can embed JavaScript objects inside the HTML elements. JSX is not supported by the browsers, as a result,Babel compiler transcompile the code into JavaScript code. JSX makes codes easy and understandable. It is easy to learn if you know HTML and JavaScript.

const name="GeekforGeeks";
const ele = <h1>Welcome to {name}</h1>;

2.Virtual DOM

DOM stands forDocument Object Model. It is the most important part of the web as it divides into modules and executes the code. Usually, JavaScript Frameworks updates the whole DOM at once, which makes the web application slow. But react uses virtual DOM which is an exact copy of real DOM. Whenever there is a modification in the web application, the whole virtual DOM is updated first and finds the difference between real DOM and Virtual DOM.

In the above-shown figure, when the whole virtual DOM has updated there is a change in the child components. So, now DOM finds the difference and updates only the changed part.

3. One-way Data Binding

One-way data binding, the name itself says that it is a one-direction flow. The data in react flows only in one direction i.e. the data is transferred from top to bottom i.e. from parent components to child components. The properties(props) in the child component cannot return the data to its parent component but it can have communication with the parent components to modify the states according to the provided inputs.

As shown in the above diagram, data can flow only from top to bottom.

4.Performance

As we discussed earlier, react uses virtual DOM and updates only the modified parts. So , this makes the DOM to run faster. DOM executes in memory so we can create separate components which makes the DOM run faster.

Advantages:

1. Fast, Efficient,and Easy to Learn

It contains pre-built patterns and functions that can be chosen and combined like building blocks to create fast, appealing, and scalable projects in less time as compared to designing the entire application line by line. Also, unlike Angular and Ember which are referred to as ‘Domain-specific Language’, React only requires to need a basic knowledge of HTML and CSS fundamentals to start working with it.

2. SEO Friendly

SEO is about making it easier for developers to find the right content for the user. When a user makes a search, search engines platforms like Google, Yahoo, Bing or Baidu try to find which page is the most relevant to that specific search. React affects the SEO by giving you a SPA (Single Page Application) which requires Javascript to show the content on the page which can then be rendered and indexed.

3. Write Once, Run Anywhere

We can develop new features in React without re-writing the existing code. It can also render on the server using Node and power mobile apps using React Native. So we can create IOS, Android, and Web applications simultaneously. In conclusion, extensive code reusability is supported by React.

4. It is Simple

The component-based approach, automatic rendering, and use of just plain JavaScript make React very simple to learn, build a web (and mobile applications), and support it. We can mix Javascript and HTML together to create a special syntax called JSX which makes it easier to grasp and work with it.

Limitation:

1. Lack of Proper Documentation

There are a lot of tools and libraries like Redux and Reflux that can boost the performance of React. Even React itself is updated regularly. Unfortunately, that comes with a downside. Some developers think that React technologies are updating and accelerating so fast that there is no time to document it or write proper instructions. Developers are left with only sparse text guides that don’t cover the details.

2. Development Speed

While some people argue that React is constantly being improved and making their jobs easier, it may still be perceived as something negative. The reason for it is because everything is constantly evolving, resulting in developers being displeased by the need for constant relearning of processes or new mechanics and some developers might not be comfortable with keeping up with such a pace.

3. JSX Complexity

JSX would be considered as an advantage by most people, rather than a disadvantage, and yet, it may also be seen as a stumbling block. It might cause confusion to those who are not much familiar with it.

JSX in simple terms is a JavaScript extension that can make the code more readable and clean. The mix of HTML and JavaScript in JSX makes React much more complicated to learn and that may be unappealing to aspiring developers. Developers and designers complain about complications in learning JSX and the consequent hard learning curve.

What is Next.js?

Next is a react framework built as an open-source on top of React library. It is created by vercel. Next framework creates fast search engine optimize react applications with zero configuration. A traditional react application is rendered client-side where the browser starts with a shell of an HTML page lacking any rendered content from which the browser extracts the JS file which consists of React files to display the content to the webpage. Next helps you create production-ready apps and provides you the best experience with its features like server-side rendering, route pre-fetching, smart bundling, etc.

Features:

• Hot Code Reloading
• Automatic Code Splitting
• Ecosystem Compatibility
• Server Rendering
• Automatic Routing

Hot Code Reloading

Next has hot code reloading feature that allows you to see the immediate effects on code changes without the need for a full page refresh. It is also known as fast refresh. This speeds up the development process and making it more efficient. With HCR, you can observe real-time updates in the browser as you modify the code which enhances the overall development experience.

Automatic Code Splitting

Code splitting is a technique that breaks down a large JavaScript code into smaller, more manageable component. With this feature, every import in the code gets bundled and served with each page. It means that unnecessary code never gets loaded on the page. If there is an import in a specific page then other pages do not include that library this makes our application lightweight.

Ecosystem Compatibility

Next is designed in such a way that it can easily able to integrate with the React or Node ecosystem. You can use your knowledge of React while taking advantage of features of Next that provides a smooth transition for those familiar with React development.

Server Rendering

Server rendering is an important feature in Next that increases performance and search engine optimization (SEO). Due to this, the initial rendering of pages is done on the server rather than the client that helps in faster page loads and improved search engine indexing.

Automatic Routing

Next simplifies the process of defining routes in a React application. It allows you to create pages in the pages directory, and the framework automatically generates routes based on these files. This eliminates the need for explicit route configurations, providing a simple way for routing within the application.

Advantages:

1. Speed

Next supports static site generation and server-side rendering, which increases the performance. Due to static generation it pre-renders and caches all web application pages and serving them efficiently. It builds pages on the server that reduces client-side processing time.

2. Less Setup

Next minimizes setup complexities because it provides many features that requiring zero configuration. For example – Page routing doesn’t require any setup or code, that simplifies the process of creating routes within your application.

3. Easily Create Your Own Back-End

Next helps you to easily create custom back-end functionalities to support their front-end. And also, this customization doesn’t impact on the size bundle of the client-side application.

4. Built-In CSS Support

Next provides built-in CSS support, that helps you to include stylesheets without additional libraries or tooling. This is very beneficial for smaller projects in which helps them by avoiding unnecessary complexity while adding a CSS preprocessor.

Limitations:

1. Development and Maintenance

Building a Next application requires a significant investment. Skilled developers familiar with Next are important, and ongoing resources are needed for maintenance.

2. Vendor Lock-In

Next has its own standards and practices, which leads to a sense of vendor lock-in. You might find difficult to use webpack without the flexibility of configuring it to their preferences.

3. Routing System

While there is no need to code while setting up routing, but it closely links routing logic to pages, that makes them more challenging to maintain. This becomes very difficult when you need to change routes often or want to use routing logic in multiple places.

4. Community

As Next is still in growing phase, it lacks a large user community compared to other frameworks. This may leads to difficulty in finding solutions to problems and getting resources such as tutorials. However, the community is growing gradually, and it is expected to become more competitive in the future.

Difference between NextJS and React

Is Nextjs Better than React?

You would be wondering if Next.js require some basic knowledge of React and React is a popular front-end JavaScript library then why do we have to learn this not to go only with React? The main reason is that Next has big advantages over React, it fixes some common problems that arise in React development. React does not have built-in routing capabilities which means we have to depend on third-party libraries or build our own routing solution and Next solved our problem of routing.

One of the biggest problems with React is that it’s a client-side library, which means it renders the UI on the client browser and this may lead to slow rendering and results in slower page loading time, which is not good for SEO and Next. solves this problem by providing server-side rendering out of the box and many more problems solutions it problems. These are the main reasons to choose Next.

Using Next provides you with the best server-side rendering (SSR) and static site development experience and also lets you manage your web applications easily with many tools. Whereas React can be a great framework for building single-page web applications like UI, etc moreover react is more versatile as it is a library, not a framework.

When to Use React Over NextJS?

React is a powerful front-end JavaScript library suitable for large-scale web applications with complex routing and heavily data-driven components. When combined with Redux, React Router, Webpack, etc. it becomes a powerful framework for building scalable projects.

• For client-side rendering, React uses virtual DOM that supports data binding, and it has many other libraries which make it an excellent choice. If you require offline support, React has the ability to handle large datasets and an offline-first approach ensures reliability even without an internet connection.
• React excels in creating interactive and performant user interfaces, thanks to its component-based architecture. The ease of creating reusable components enhances code modularity and maintenance.
• As React is very popular and it has a very large community it is easier to find the resources and support.

When to Use NextJS Over ReactJS?

Next is a better choice for building static sites or applications without complex routing, automated build processes and built-in support for server-side rendering. This makes it compatible for JAMstack applications, where speed and simplicity are more important.

• JAMstack Applications: Next mostly used for building JAMstack applications, making it one of the most popular frameworks for this architecture.
• Single Stack Development: If you want to learn a single stack, handling both back-end and front-end with one technology, Next is a better choice.
• Personalization with Ninetailed: Next is recommended for creating personalized content using Ninetailed, particularly used for landing pages and static websites.
• Server-Side Rendering (SSR): If your application requires SSR for improved performance, Next is a better option.
• Static Sites with Dynamic Elements: Next supports static site creation and SSR that makes it suitable for applications where some parts need to be static pages while others are dynamic.

Will Next.js Replace React.js?

Next is definitely newer and faster in many cases when compared with React. JAMstack a modern web development architecture that uses JavaScript, APIs, and pre-rendered Markup, Next is the best choice for them.

On the other hand, React, a front-end JavaScript library, is used in building user interfaces and reusable UI components. When integrated with technologies like Redux, React Router, and Webpack, React becomes a robust framework for large-scale web applications. It has simplified code and has easy maintenance due to creation of isolated, reusable components.

Choosing between Next and React depends on the specific problem you aim to solve and the usecase of your project. It’s essential to note that Next doesn’t replace React, instead it complements it. Anyone who wants to learn Next are first advised to be familiar with React.

Conclusion

NextJS is a React framework that offercs server side rendering, static site generation and filebased routing making it best for SEO and performance optimization while React is a Front-end library that solely focus on the User Interfaces with great resources and large community support.