What is Next.js?
Next.js is a React framework that gives you building blocks to create web applications. By framework, we mean Next.js handles the tooling and configuration needed for React, and provides additional structure, features, and optimizations for your application.
// pages/index.js - Simple Next.js page
import Head from 'next/head'
import Link from 'next/link'
export default function Home() {
return (
<div>
<Head>
<title>My Next.js App</title>
<meta name="description" content="Generated by Next.js" />
</Head>
<main>
<h1>Welcome to Next.js!</h1>
<Link href="/about">
<a>About Page</a>
</Link>
</main>
</div>
)
}
// API route - pages/api/hello.js
export default function handler(req, res) {
res.status(200).json({ message: 'Hello from Next.js API!' })
}
// Server-side rendering
export async function getServerSideProps() {
const data = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
const posts = await data.json()
return {
props: {
posts,
},
}
}
Key Features
- Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Render pages on the server for better SEO and performance
- Static Site Generation (SSG): Pre-render pages at build time
- API Routes: Build API endpoints as part of your Next.js application
- File-based Routing: Automatic routing based on file structure
- Image Optimization: Built-in image optimization with next/image
- CSS Support: Built-in support for CSS Modules and Sass
- TypeScript Support: First-class TypeScript support
Career Impact
$95K
Average salary for Next.js developers
300%
Growth in Next.js job postings
70%
Of React developers use Next.js
Learning Path
- Master React fundamentals
- Learn Next.js basics and routing
- Understand SSR vs SSG
- Practice with API routes
- Learn deployment strategies
- Build full-stack applications