React.js vs. Next.js

React.js and Next.js are two widely used JavaScript technologies for web development. Meta created React to develop reactive web apps that quickly display page contents to users without page reloads. React component-based architecture allows teams to combine components developed by individual developers and create user-friendly web interfaces. On the other hand, Vercel created Next.js as an extension to React’s features. Next.js is based on React but contains features that let it go beyond what React can offer. In the sections that follow, we will discuss the features offered by each technology and then compare them.

React.js

Next.js

  • React.js apps offer client-side rendering by default. However, we can enable server-side rendering with some effort.

  • React developers use the React router to handle routing manually.

  • In React.js apps, we can fetch data on the client side using Axios or the Fetch API.

  • React has a larger developer support community.

  • Next.js has server-side rendering and provides image, font, and script optimizations with built-in components like Image, Link, and Script.

  • Next.js offers both the app router and file based-routing option to its users.

  • Next.js supports both client and server-side data fetching. Server-side data fetching is carried out using getServerSideProps and getStaticProps.

  • Next.js has a smaller developer community.

Similarities between React.js and Next.js

There are certain features in common between the two, which are described as follows:

  • Virtual DOM: Both use Virtual DOMA copy of the real DOM and linked to it by ReactDOM library. to monitor and make minor (even major ones) state changes to the real DOM that don’t cause the entire browser’s DOM to change.

  • Server-side rendering: Both offer server-side rendering. However, React, by default, offers client-side rendering, but with some effort, we can implement server-side rendering in React.

  • Component: React and Next divide the web interface into smaller components. For example, for a simple web page shown below, examine the divisions labeled on it. The navigation bar, footer, and side menu are separate React components. Together, they combine and form the web UI displayed to the user. Each component exhibits its behavior and logic and can easily be reused in other UI screens. For example, a navigation bar component displayed on the home screen can also be reused on the About and Contact pages.

Web page made in React
Web page made in React

React.js app

The application given below has been created using React. Press the ‘‘Run’’ button below and explore. 

import React from 'react';
import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';

const NavEducative=()=>{
    return (    
        <nav className="div_nav">
			<div>
				<Link to="/" className="hyperlinks">Home</Link>
			</div>
			<div>
				<Link to="/about" className="hyperlinks">About Educative</Link>
			</div>
		</nav>
    )

}
export default NavEducative;
React app

Next.js app

Press ‘‘Run” to see the output of the Next.js app. Explore and experiment with the output. 

import Head from 'next/head'
import Script from 'next/script'
import Image from 'next/image'
import styles from '@/styles/Home.module.css'
import Navbar from './components/navbar'

export default function Home() {
  return (
    <>
      <Head>
        <title>Educative</title>
        <meta name="description" content="Developed by Developer's Advocate at Educative Inc." />
        <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
      </Head>
      <Script strategy="lazyOnload">
        alert("welcome to my application");
      </Script>
      <div className={styles.main_body}>
            <Navbar />
            <div className={styles.banner}>
              <h1>  Hello, This is Educative's Next.js App</h1>
            </div> 
            <div className={styles.next_properties}>
                  <div className={styles.image}>
                            <Image
                              src="/Next.png"
                              alt="Educative's App"
                              width={700}
                              height={300}                     
                            />
                  </div>
            </div>
      </div>   
    </>
  )
}
Next app

React.js vs. Next.js

The following table contains a summary of the differences between React and Next.

Aspect

ReactJS

NextJS

Library or framework

Library

Framework

Routing

No built-in routing; router implemented through an external library (react-router-dom)

Built-in app and file-based routers

Static-site generation

Static-site generation not supported by default but can be achieved with other libraries or frameworks


Static-site generation supported by default

Server-side rendering

Not supported by default, but implementation is possible with effort

Supported by default

Developer community

Large community

Small community

API routes

Built-in API handling is not supported

API routes allow for built-in API handling

Cross-platform compatibility

Both mobile (React Native) and web-compatible

Mainly web compatible

SEO support

Less SEO friendly (rephrase wording)

More SEO friendly

Ease of development

Easier to develop apps

Requires knowledge of both React.js and Next.js, thus difficult to develop

Performance

Slower as lacks additional optimizations

Faster website rendering due to additional with image and font optimizations

Image and font optimizations

Absent

Present

Conclusion

To sum up, React.js and Next.js offer their own features. While React.js allows us to build seamless user interfaces with its virtual DOM and component-based architecture, Next.js extends these features with code splitting and image optimization options. Deciding which one to use depends on a project’s needs and our level of expertise.

Further readings:

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