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Jeremy Max

React vs Next

React.js, Next.js1 min read

React and Next.js are both popular JavaScript libraries for building web applications, but they serve different purposes.

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It allows developers to create reusable UI components and manage the state of their application. React is often used in combination with other libraries or frameworks, such as Redux for state management, to build complex web applications.

Next.js, on the other hand, is a framework built on top of React that makes it easy to build server-rendered React applications. Next.js provides a set of features, such as automatic code splitting and server-side rendering, that can improve the performance and SEO of a React application. Additionally, Next.js has a built-in development server, which makes it easy to get started with a new project.

In terms of learning curve, React is considered to be a little more low-level than Next.js, meaning it will require more coding and boilerplate code to get started with a simple application, while Next.js provides a more opinionated and easy-to-use structure for building web applications.

In terms of performance, Next.js provides server-side rendering which can improve the time-to-interactive and SEO of an application. React on the other hand, does not provide this out-of-the-box, but it is possible to achieve similar performance by using a combination of libraries and tools.

In summary, React is a powerful and flexible JavaScript library for building user interfaces, while Next.js is a framework that makes it easy to build server-rendered React applications with improved performance and SEO. The choice between the two depends on the specific needs of the project and the level of experience of the developer.