After weeks of learning React, you'll most likely feel ready to create new websites with your new found React skills. But hey, hold on, before you dive headfirst into your next project, let me introduce you to a game-changer: Next.js… You must have been hearing rumors about it, but Next.js isn't just another framework, it's like React on steroids that allows you to build fullstack web applications easily. It's the upgrade you didn't know you needed. Trust me, once you experience the magic of Next.js, you won't want to look back at plain old React.js.

In this article, I'll tell you all about Next.js, how to install it and use it and so much more.

We'll be looking at the following contents

1. Introducing Next.js:
   1.1 Introduction to Next.js
   1.2 Why Next.js

2. The Power of Next.js: Advantages and Benefits
   2.1. Server-Side Rendering (SSR) 2.2. Static Site Generation (SSG) 2.3. API Routes and Backend Integration
   2.4. Built-in Performance Optimization and Automatic code splitting

3. Getting Started with Next.js: A Step-by-Step Guide
   3.1. Installation and Setup
   3.2. Creating Your First Next.js Project

4. Conclusion

Hey, heads-up, if you aren't familiar with React.js and you've come this far in this article, I'll politely ask you to scoot on out of here, because I'm going to be speaking a foreign language you don't understand.
If not, let's go

1 Introduction to Next.js

1.1 What is Next.js?

Next.js is a React framework that shows significant advancement in React ecosystem. It provides developers with the ability to build fullstack modern web applications, unlike plain React.js.

1.2 Why Next.js?

The main reason to choose Next.js is that it addresses many pain points faced by React developers.

Next.js simplifies complex tasks such as routing, data fetching, lazy loading, code splitting and much more allowing developers to focus more on building features and less on boilerplate code.

Additionally, another advantage of Next.js is its built-in support for server-side rendering(SSR) and static site generation(SSG). This leads to improved performance, enhanced SEO(Search Engine Optimization), and better user experience compared to plain React.js client-side rendering approaches.

I'll break this down as we go further in this article. we'll check out the benefits and see how Next.js transforms the way React developers work.

2 Exploring the Power of Next.js

2.1 Server-Side Rendering (SSR) and Its Impact

In Next.js, Server-Side Rendering (SSR) means that your pages are generated on the server and sent to the client as fully-rendered HTML. Imagine you're serving a ready-to-eat meal instead of cooking it from scratch when your guests arrive, that's what SSR is like. This results in faster page loads, better SEO, and a smoother user experience. For example, when a user visits a Next.js website, they instantly see the fully-rendered content, leading to higher engagement.

2.2 Static Site Generation (SSG) for Performance and SEO

Static Site Generation (SSG) in Next.js is like preparing a meal in advance, so you can serve them to your guests once they ask for it without any delay. With SSG, Next.js generates HTML files for your pages at build time, making them faster to load and easier for search engines to find it. This boosts performance and improves SEO rankings. For instance, when a user searches for content, they'll find your Next.js site at the top of the search results because it loads quickly and provides relevant information.

2.3 Simplified Routing and Navigation

One of the best features of Next.js is that it makes routing and navigation so easy with its user-friendly API. Whether you're creating a simple single-page application or a complex multi-page website, Next.js handles routing with ease. You can define routes and navigate between pages easily, ensuring a smooth user experience.

Let's take a quick look at how you can organize your Next.js project for page routing:

/pages   /index     /page.jsx   /about     /page.jsx   /contact     /page.jsx  

In this structure:

• Each directory or folder under /pages represents a route in your Next.js application.
• Inside each route directory, there's a page.jsx file that corresponds to the content for that route. You write your code inside the page.jsx file

This folder-based approach to routing makes it easy to organize your pages and navigate between them within your project.

Next.js also provides built-in API routes that allow you to create custom endpoints for backend integration. Here's how you can structure your API routes:

   /api     /users       /route.jsx       /[userId]         /route.jsx     /products       /route.jsx       /[productId]         /route.jsx 

In this structure:

• The /api directory contains all your API routes.
• Each subdirectory within /api represents a different resource or endpoint.
• Inside each resource directory, there's a route.jsx file that defines the logic for that endpoint and that's where you'll write your backend code. For example :

// /pages/api/users/[userId].js  export default function handler(req, res) {   const { userId } = req.query;   // Fetch user data based on userId   const userData = { id: userId, name: 'John Doe', email: 'john@example.com' };   res.status(200).json(userData); } 

• Dynamic routes are represented by directories with square brackets [...].

NOTE: Let me chip this in,
With Next.js, you won't need to learn node.js and Express because Next.js handles it for you, you can just write your good old backend code in an API route and use it in your frontend
isn't that awesome?!

With this folder structure, Next.js makes it easy to create and manage both page and API routes within your project.
I strongly advise you to read the Next.js docs to learn more about routing.

2.4 Performance Optimization and Automatic Code Splitting

Performance optimization is a priority in Next.js, and it offers features like automatic code splitting to improve your application's speed and responsiveness. Think of it like packing your suitcase efficiently for a trip, so you only bring what you need. Next.js automatically splits your code into smaller units, ensuring that only the necessary code is loaded when a user visits your site. This reduces load times and enhances performance, especially for larger applications. Additionally, Next.js optimizes images, fonts, and other assets to further boost performance.

And one additional one I really like is the loading.jsx file.
In React you know how you have to integrate a lazy loading and Suspense in your App.jsx so when a page is loading, the user can see a particular loading UI, well in Next.js, all you have to do is add a loading.jsx file in your src folder, put your loading UI there and Next.js will render it whenever any page is loading
Pretty sleek, right?
Let's move on

3 Getting Started with Next.js: A Step-by-Step Guide
3.1. Installation and Setup:
This sections is just to teach you about how to setup your Next.js App.
Before diving into Next.js development, you'll need to install the necessary tools and set up your development environment. Here's a guide on how to do it:

–Install Node.js and npm: Next.js requires Node.js and npm to be installed on your system. You can download and install Node.js from the official website: nodejs.org.

–Create a New Next.js Project: Once Node.js is installed, you can create a new Next.js project using the create-next-app command-line tool. Simply run npx create-next-app followed by your project name to initialize a new Next.js project.It would ask you a few questions like if you'll like to use tailwind and typescript and some others, make sure to make the right choice and configure it to your taste.

–Navigate to Your Project Directory: After creating your project, navigate to its directory using the cd command in your terminal.

–Start the Development Server: To start the development server and preview your Next.js application, run npm run dev in the terminal. This command will start the Next.js development server and open your project in your default web browser.

Now that your development environment is set up, In your directory you'll see a page.jsx file, that is the initial page, edit and and start building your projects with Next.js,you're ready to start building with Next.js!

Conclusion:

In conclusion, we've explored the various advantages and benefits that Next.js brings to the table for React developers. Let's recap the key points from our discussion:

Firstly, Next.js simplifies the development process by providing an easy way for building full-stack modern web applications. Its built-in features, such as server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG), eliminate the common pain points and enhance performance, SEO, and user experience.

Additionally, Next.js offers simplified routing and navigation, making it easy to organize and manage your project's pages.

Furthermore, Next.js includes built-in API routes for backend integration, allowing developers to create custom endpoints, write backend code and handle server-side logic directly within their Next.js projects.

In closing, I encourage developers to explore Next.js and enjoy its powerful features for building modern web applications to enhance their productivity, and create high-performance web applications that meet the demands of today's users.

Next.js represents the future of React development, offering a valuable toolset for developers looking to stay ahead of the curve whether you're building a small personal project or a large-scale enterprise application. Please, ensure to read Next.js docs to gain more knowledge on Next.js.

Well that brings us to the end of this article, I really hope you enjoyed this piece and like they say in highschool debates, I hope I've been able to convince you and not to confuse you that Next.js is what you should be using right now
Thank you for reading
You can checkout my other blog and article at tayo.hashnode.dev