vishal-kt / nextjs

React vs Next.js

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, while Next.js is a framework built on top of React that adds server-side rendering, routing, and other features to simplify the development of React applications.

Here are some key differences between React and Next.js:

• Server-side rendering (SSR): Next.js provides built-in support for server-side rendering, which allows your React components to be rendered on the server and sent to the client as HTML. This can improve performance and SEO.

• Routing: Next.js includes a powerful routing system that allows you to define dynamic routes and handle client-side navigation. React, on the other hand, does not provide a built-in routing solution.

• File-based routing: Next.js uses a file-based routing system, where each page is represented by a file in the pages directory. This makes it easy to create new pages and manage your application's routes.

• API routes: Next.js allows you to define serverless API routes alongside your pages, making it easy to create backend functionality without the need for a separate server.

• Static site generation (SSG): Next.js supports static site generation, which allows you to pre-render your pages at build time and serve them as static HTML files. This can further improve performance and reduce server load.

• Built-in optimizations: Next.js includes several built-in optimizations, such as automatic code splitting, client-side rendering, and caching, to help improve the performance of your application.

These are just a few of the differences between React and Next.js. Depending on your project requirements, you may choose to use React alone or leverage the additional features provided by Next.js.