Next.js is getting popular nowadays due to its various features like file-based routing, pre-rendering, SSR, etc.

And, many businesses are migrating their application from React.js to Next.js. Let’s try to understand why based on the difference between the both.

React.js is a popular JavaScript library that allows developers to create reusable UI components. It uses a virtual DOM (Document Object Model) to efficiently render changes in the UI. React is often used to build single-page applications (SPAs), where the entire application runs in the browser, and the user interface is updated dynamically in response to user interactions.

Next.js, on the other hand, is a framework built on top of React that provides additional features to make building server-rendered React applications easier. Server-side rendering means that the initial HTML for the page is generated on the server, which can improve performance and SEO. Automatic code splitting allows the application to be split into smaller chunks, which can be loaded as needed, improving the load time of the application. Static site generation will enable us to pre-render pages at build time, which can further improve performance and reduce server load.

Next.js also provides features like built-in routing, automatic code optimization, and support for serverless functions. These features can help make building complex applications easier and faster.

Just to summarise, React is a library for building user interfaces, while Next.js is a framework built on top of React that provides additional features for building server-rendered React applications. Next.js makes building high-performance, SEO-friendly web applications easier by providing features like server-side rendering, automatic code splitting, and static site generation.