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Next.js:

Next.js has become a Vercel vendor lock-in disguised as an open-source framework. Save yourself the headache and choose something else for your "next" project.​

  • Backed by Vercel with a large community and ecosystem.
  • Rich documentation and plugins for advanced use cases.

Here’s how they relate:

1. React as the Foundation​

  • React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It focuses solely on the view layer of an application, allowing developers to build components and manage state.
  • It provides the tools for designing reusable and dynamic UI components but does not prescribe how to structure an application or handle server-side rendering, routing, etc.

2. Next.js Enhances React​

  • Next.js is a framework built on top of React that adds powerful features to simplify the development of modern web applications. It provides solutions for many of the challenges developers face when building React applications, such as:
    • Server-side Rendering (SSR): Rendering pages on the server before sending them to the client, improving performance and SEO.
    • Static Site Generation (SSG): Pre-rendering pages at build time, offering fast load times.
    • API Routes: Allows you to build server-side API endpoints directly within the application.
    • File-based Routing: Automatically generates routes based on the file structure in the pages directory.
    • Optimized Performance: Built-in optimizations like automatic code splitting, image optimization, and more.

3. Shared Ecosystem​

  • Both React and Next.js share the same ecosystem:
    • React components can be used directly in a Next.js application.
    • Next.js supports React features like hooks, context, and JSX.
    • Libraries designed for React (e.g., Redux, Styled Components) also work seamlessly in Next.js.

4. When to Use Each​

  • React: If you need complete control over your application architecture or are developing a single-page application (SPA) without server-side rendering or static site generation requirements.
  • Next.js: If you want a robust framework that handles routing, server-side rendering, static generation, and other performance features out of the box.

In summary, Next.js can be seen as an extension of React that provides additional tools and conventions for building full-fledged web applications, making it an ideal choice for developers looking to leverage React with less setup and more built-in capabilities.

Summary:​

  • Use Next.js if you need a full-featured React framework with SSR/SSG, routing, and production-ready optimizations.