How next JS is different from react JS.

If you are a web developer, you have probably heard of React, the popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces. React is widely used for creating single-page applications (SPAs) that run in the browser and offer a fast and interactive user experience. However, React is not a framework, but a library, which means that it does not provide a complete solution for building web applications. You still need to configure other tools and libraries, such as routing, state management, server-side rendering, code splitting, testing, etc.

This is where Next.js comes in. Next.js is a framework that builds on top of React and provides a lot of features and benefits that React alone does not offer. Next.js is designed to make web development easier and faster, by providing a ready-made solution for common web development challenges. In this blog post, we will compare Next.js and React and see what the main differences and advantages are of each one. but first we should know about the differences between a library and a framework.

Library vs Framework

A library is a collection of pre-written code that you can use to perform specific tasks. It is a set of functions and classes that can be imported into your code and used to perform specific tasks.

A framework is a collection of libraries that work together to provide a complete solution for building applications. It provides a structure for your code and often includes libraries for common tasks like routing, authentication, and database access.

What is Next.js?

Next.js is a React framework that enables you to create production-ready web applications with minimal configuration. 

Next.js provides the following features out of the box:

- Server-side rendering (SSR): Next.js renders your pages on the server before sending them to the browser, which improves performance and SEO.

- Static site generation (SSG): Next.js can pre-render your pages at build time and serve them as static files, which reduces loading time and server costs.

- File-system based routing: Next.js automatically creates routes based on the file structure of your pages directory, which simplifies routing and navigation.

- Code splitting and bundling: Next.js automatically splits your code into smaller chunks and bundles them together, which reduces the size of your initial JavaScript load and improves performance.

- Hot module replacement (HMR): Next.js supports hot reloading of your components without losing state, which speeds up development and debugging.

- API routes: Next.js allows you to create API endpoints in your pages directory, which makes it easy to create serverless functions and connect them to your frontend.

- TypeScript support: Next.js supports TypeScript out of the box, which adds type checking and autocomplete to your code and helps you catch errors early.

- Built-in CSS support: Next.js supports importing CSS modules and global stylesheets in your components, which simplifies styling and theming.

- Image optimization: Next.js provides an Image component that automatically optimizes your images for different screen sizes and formats, which improves performance and user experience.

What is React?

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. React allows you to create reusable components that can render dynamic data and handle user interactions. React uses a virtual DOM to update the browser DOM efficiently and avoid unnecessary re-rendering. React also supports hooks, which are functions that let you use state and other React features without writing a class component. 

React provides the following features:

- Declarative syntax: React uses JSX, which is a syntax extension that allows you to write HTML-like code in JavaScript. JSX makes it easy to describe what your UI should look like and how it should behave.

- Component-based architecture: React encourages you to break down your UI into small and isolated components that can be composed together. Components make your code more modular, reusable, and maintainable.

- One-way data flow: React follows the principle of one-way data flow, which means that data flows from parent components to child components via props. Props are read-only properties that allow you to pass data down the component tree. This makes it easier to reason about your data and avoid side effects.

- State management: React allows you to manage the state of your components using hooks or external libraries such as Redux or MobX. State is the source of truth for your UI and determines how your components render and behave.

Next.js Pros:

- Next.js provides a lot of features that React does not offer by default, such as SSR, SSG, routing, code splitting, etc. This saves you time and effort from setting up these features yourself or using third-party libraries.

- Next.js offers a great developer experience with features such as HMR, API routes, TypeScript support, etc. This makes development faster and more enjoyable.

- Next.js is optimized for performance and SEO with features such as SSR, SSG, image optimization, etc. This makes your web applications load faster and rank higher on search engines.

Next.js Cons:

- Next.js adds an extra layer of abstraction on top of React, which means that you have to learn how to use Next.js in addition to React.

Routing in next js vs react js

Next.js routing is a built-in feature that allows you to create single-page applications that are fast, responsive, and easy to navigate. The Next.js router allows you to do client-side route transitions between pages, similar to a single-page application. A React component called Link is provided to do this client-side route transition.

React requires you to add libraries like React Router for routing, whereas Next.js offers that functionality out of the box with the Link component.

How to create next js app

You can create a new Next.js app using the default Next.js template or by using one of the official Next.js examples. The easiest way to get started with Next.js is by using create-next-app. This CLI tool enables you to quickly start building a new Next.js application, with everything set up for you. Here are the steps to create a Next.js app:

1. Install the create-next-app command by running npx create-next-app in your terminal.
2. Use the command npx create-next-app my-app to create a new Next.js app in a directory called my-app.
3. Once the installation is complete, navigate to the app directory by running cd my-app.

Conclusion

Both React and Next.js offer excellent developer experiences in their own distinctive ways. React has a robust community and allows you to construct things anyway you see fit. Through a number of out-of-the-box tools and conventions, Next.js makes your life simpler. It is also supported by a thriving open-source community. In the end, both Next.js and React offer top-notch developer experiences.