Next JS VS React JS – Which Javascript framework is better?

There are two distinct alternatives for developing new React applications in 2020. React JS or Next JS. Gatsby and many others are no longer popular. Because of slow builds at scale and the advancement of Next JS as a superior static site generator.

Creating any project is a difficult and daunting endeavor in and of itself, but contemporary technology can help make the process go more smoothly. You can focus on your business objectives thanks to them.

In this article, we will be going over the two most popular React applications builder. We will look at their background histories, what they are, their advantages and disadvantages so you can easily choose the best and only the best based on your preferences.

What is React JS?

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces developed by Facebook. React is maintained by the Facebook engineering team as well as the open-source community.

Facebook introduced React in March 2013, open-sourced it on June 13, 2015, and released version 16.3.0 in August 2018.

One of the most popular JavaScript frameworks is React. React caught the JS world by storm a few years ago and quickly established itself as the undisputed leader. React recommends the reactive technique and functional programming paradigm.

Advantages of using React JS

It’s unopinionated: You won’t have to use a specific library just because it’s what you’re limited to — React App now gives you the option of using whatever routing library you choose. Also, owing to templates, your work will be easier.

Client-side rendering: React JS client-side rendering makes it easier to work with, deployment becomes simple. What’s even better is that you can utilize any hosting and deployment service.

Disadvantages of using React JS

Customization is very daunting: Because there is no built-in way to customize, it necessitates further effort. If you want to change Webpack’s configuration, you’ll need to use a third-party tool such as Eject or Craco. However, it is not recommended or advisable to eject your React JS app as you will lose future support and most of the benefits of React JS.

It is not good for SEO: Applications that are rendered on the client-side, such as ones built using ReactJS App, are awful for SEO, thus they’re not a good fit for blogging, e-commerce, or marketing goals.

The customization option is limited and complex: React JS app is great until you have to accomplish an out-of-the-box design, then the realization hits you that it can’t be accomplished with it. The lack of need to configure Babel and Webpack is one reason it’s simple to get started, but most developers don’t understand how to use these technologies. As a result, personalization becomes more difficult.

When to use React JS

To build gated applications: Consider your upcoming application. Server-side rendering is not required if it is only available to those who have been authenticated. Client-side rendering apps will be not only easier to host but also less expensive.

When building web applications: If you wish to create an application, keep in mind that repeat visitors will primarily utilize it.  In this situation, server-side rendering isn’t required because we can get good load speeds with less effort by using caching.

What is Next JS?

Next.js is an application framework created by Vercel and written in JavaScript that facilitates and speeds up the development of building single-page web apps that run client-side and have server-side rendering.

It was developed with the goal of making the web a better place for JavaScript developers to build awesome things. It does this by allowing you to think about an application as a tree of pages rather than as a rigid set of static HTML files and CSS rules.

It also gives you the tools necessary to structure your code uniquely and use modular design patterns, like Flux and Redux, to manage complexity effectively. It has several essential features focused on streamlining development time.

The two are fundamentally different – while both are frameworks for creating SPAs in JS, Next JS takes care of routing, rendering pages on the server-side, client-side routing with webpack loading assets, etc.

Advantages of using Next JS

It is lightning fast: Because of static-site generation and server-side rendering, Next.js applications are lightning-fast. Next, take care of a slew of performance enhancements for us, making performance the default.

Easy to deploy: Vercel makes it really easy to deploy full-stack react applications, you may set up a professional deployment pipeline with only a few clicks. This applies to both preview and production deployments.

Customization is not daunting, rather easy: We can customize our babel or webpack setup with Next JS. Adding webpack loaders or babel plugins is simple.

API Routes usage possibility: Next JS allows us to create APIs quickly and easily within our applications. If your app uses third-party APIs, you’ll probably need your own API to proxy queries and keep tokens private. The API routes provided by Next JS are ideal for this scenario.

Disadvantages of using Next JS

It’s opinionated: There is just one way to deal with routes in Next JS, and you can’t change it. Next JS only has a file-based router, and dynamic routes can only be created using a NodeJS server.

When to use Next JS

To build a landing page: Marketers adore Next.js, which they happily use to construct landing pages and other marketing-related pages.

When SEO becomes a priority: If you want to create a blog, an online store, or any other marketing-related page, you should know that SEO is important and can provide you a competitive advantage. Next.js is the first choice for many when it comes to increasing organic traffic because of its speed, server-side rendering, and unique features.

An enhancement for Next JS users

If you are building a project with Next JS, something becomes clear as you get closer to release.

There are some questions you can’t answer: Who are the people who use your service? What is the status of your application? Which of your API routes is the slowest?

How long does it take for server-side rendering to complete? How frequently do API failures appear? Is it possible to introduce a feature gradually? How can you perform a specific function only once a day?

While Next JS is wonderful for designing apps, there’s a big missing piece as you get closer to release. You might ask what the big piece is? The big piece is the ability to track and monitor how your app is performing, where are your users from, how much traffic/user is your app getting, who are the top traffic referral to your app E.T.C

Now you might be wondering what will help you fill this big piece, HAPPYKIT aspires to be that piece-filler or missing component.

With HAPPYKIT, you will be able to monitor all the above-listed abilities and more.

Happykit Dashboard

You can check out HAPPYKIT here.

Conclusion

I hope this article will help you decide what to use between Next JS and React JS for your next project. Remember that both of these are excellent tools for designing React apps. There is no clear winner between the two: Next JS is superior in some circumstances, while React-App is better in others.

Comment down below if you have a query. You can also reach out to me on Twitter privately.