next

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.

README

Next.js

Getting Started

Visit https://nextjs.org/learn to get started with Next.js.

Documentation

Visit https://nextjs.org/docs to view the full documentation.

Who is using Next.js?

Next.js is used by the world's leading companies. Check out the Next.js Showcase to learn more.

Community

The Next.js community can be found on GitHub Discussions, where you can ask questions, voice ideas, and share your projects.

To chat with other community members you can join the Next.js Discord.

Our Code of Conduct applies to all Next.js community channels.

Contributing

Please see our contributing.md.

Good First Issues

We have a list of good first issues that contain bugs which have a relatively limited scope. This is a great place to get started, gain experience, and get familiar with our contribution process.

Authors

• Tim Neutkens (@timneutkens) – Vercel
• Naoyuki Kanezawa (@nkzawa) – Vercel
• Guillermo Rauch (@rauchg) – Vercel
• Arunoda Susiripala (@arunoda)
• Tony Kovanen (@tonykovanen)
• Dan Zajdband (@impronunciable)