Next.js vs Nuxt.js

There sure is some programming humour to these frameworks being named so similar but it is still crucial that people don’t mix up the two. Some differences might be evident while some might be ignorable and that can lead to programmers being confused between the two.

Differences between Next.js and Nuxt.js

What makes Nuxt.js a good choice?

In developer terms, Nuxt.js is a magnificent framework that is open-source and high-level. Nuxt.js is based on Vue.js, Babel.js, Node.js, and Webpack and is free to use. Notably, Nuxt.js is a Javascript framework as well! which is quite similar to Next. Much like Next.js, Nuxt.js also permits the content on the web to be server-side rendered whether it is partially or totally. This leads to improved page responsiveness and even helps with SEO.

Nuxt.js comes under the umbrella of a universal application that utilizes a meta-framework and develops single-page Vue.js apps. So, while Next.js is designed to solve issues that come up in React-based front-ends, Nuxt.js is designed to act as a framework for frameworks, that too mostly Vue.js.

Now, Vue is a framework primarily designed to develop single-page applications. Vue is heavily focused on UI and created dynamic applications but the problem arises when Vue comes up with its performance hurdles or usual SEO challenges. Nuxt.js comes as a saviour in that case and tackles these basic challenges faced by Vue users. Nuxt.js uses server-side rendering and streamlines development, for instance, it allows programmers to assign SEO meta tags for pages to improve SEO.

So, the primary goal of developers opting for Nuxt.js is to come up with efficient, interactive, and universal web apps quickly as Nuxt.js is an extremely flexible and versatile platform to work on projects at.

What makes Next.js a good choice?

Next.js is also an open-source framework that is used for building server-side rendered or static web applications using React libraries. This framework is based on React.js, webpack, Node.js, and Babel.js and is a productivity booster in all forms.

Developed by a development company named Vercel, Next.js is completely focused on providing efficiency and flexibility to web applications. Since React is inherently a Javascript library and hence renders all its web applications client-side it poses issues for some users in the longer run. So, Next.js makes sure to provide back-end rendering.

Next.js has dozens of features that make it a preferred choice among developers. Some noticeable features are:

• Route prefetching: This feature helps in loading ages quicker as the Javascript needed to render them is already prefetched by Next.js. It follows a file-system-based routing which automatically turns all files present into pages.
• Static and server rendering: Next.js allows web pages to be rendered multiple times or even once as per the client’s request.
• Automatic code splitting: Next.js helps in making pages shorter chance making the loading faster as it allows only necessary packets for their rendering.

Additionally, Next.js is optimized in such a way that it requires zero setups and is well suited to design SEO-friendly and indexable web applications.

To summarize…

To define it as easily as possible,

Next.js is a React framework that can be used when a user needs fast rendering in complex situations.

Nuxt.js on the other hand is a Vue framework that helps in making the web development process efficient and quicker.

We cannot stress it enough that JavaScript is everywhere around us and almost all the mobile and web applications running today are built on it, so taking the help of frameworks like Next.js and Nuxt.js becomes inevitable. so, one must choose the most efficient framework according to their needs and work with it.

Our personal preference is to learn Next.js due to its popularity – and since React is also #1 UI runtime for the frontend. If you’re looking to get started with Next.js, React, and frontend in general, checkout the frontend learning path on codedamn and start learning React for free.