What is next?
The 'next' npm package is a popular framework for building server-side rendered and statically generated React applications. It provides a set of features that simplify the development of modern web applications, including page-based routing, pre-rendering, automatic code splitting, and API routes.
What are next's main functionalities?
Page-based routing
Next.js provides a file-system-based router built on the concept of pages. When a file is added to the pages directory, it's automatically available as a route.
export default function Home() {
return <div>Welcome to Next.js!</div>
}
API Routes
Next.js allows you to create API endpoints as part of your Next.js application. These are server-side functions that you can deploy alongside your application.
export default function handler(req, res) {
res.status(200).json({ message: 'Hello from Next.js!' })
}
Static Generation and Server-Side Rendering
Next.js supports two forms of pre-rendering: Static Generation and Server-Side Rendering. This feature allows you to generate HTML in advance for optimal performance.
export async function getStaticProps() {
const data = await fetchData();
return { props: { data } };
}
Built-in CSS and Sass Support
Next.js allows you to import CSS and Sass files directly within your JavaScript components, providing a streamlined development experience.
import '../styles/globals.css';
export default function App({ Component, pageProps }) {
return <Component {...pageProps} />
}
Automatic Code Splitting
Next.js automatically splits your code into small bundles that are loaded as needed, improving load times and performance.
import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';
const DynamicComponent = dynamic(() => import('../components/hello'));
export default function Home() {
return <DynamicComponent />
}
Other packages similar to next
gatsby
Gatsby is a React-based static site generator that provides similar functionalities to Next.js, such as pre-rendering and code splitting. However, Gatsby is more focused on static site generation, whereas Next.js offers a hybrid approach with both static generation and server-side rendering.
nuxt
Nuxt.js is a framework based on Vue.js that offers functionalities similar to Next.js but for Vue.js applications. It provides server-side rendering, static site generation, and automatic code splitting, much like Next.js does for React applications.
create-react-app
Create React App is a boilerplate to create single-page React applications. It sets up a development environment and builds scripts but does not offer server-side rendering or static site generation out of the box like Next.js does.
sapper
Sapper is a framework for building web applications using Svelte, offering server-side rendering and static site generation. It's similar to Next.js in terms of goals but is designed for Svelte instead of React.
node-ext - Node.js extensions
Functions that complements Node.js API.
It's work in progress, new methods are added when needed.
Installation
$ npm install next
Usage
var nfs = require('next/lib/fs')
, npath = require('next/lib/path');
nfs.fileExists(filepath, callback);
dirpath = npath.trim(dirpath);
Alternatively you can import each function individually
var fileExists = require('next/lib/fs/file-exists')
, pathTrim = require('next/lib/path/trim');
fileExists(filepath, callback);
dirpath = pathTrim(dirpath);
Extensions
Each extension is documented at begin of its source file.
findPackageRoot(path)
getRequire(path)
isModuleNotFoundError(error, path)
requireInContext(path, context)
requireSilent(path)
child_process
fs
fs.copy
fs.copySync
fs.dirExists
fs.fileExists
fs.readdirFilesDeep
path