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Next.js

Next.js is an open-source React front-end development web framework that enables functionality such as server-side rendering and static site generation for React based web applications.

What is Next.js?

Next.js is an open-source React front-end development web framework created by Vercel that allows for server-side rendering and static site generation. It enables developers to build production-ready React applications with features like server-side rendering, hybrid static & server-side rendering, TypeScript support, smart bundling, route pre-fetching and more.

Some key capabilities and benefits of Next.js include:

  • Server-Side Rendering - Next.js renders HTML on the server-side, so pages load faster and allow better SEO versus client-side only React apps
  • Hybrid Rendering - Allows for both static site generation (SSR) at build time along with server-side rendering automatically
  • Automatic Code Splitting - Next.js automatically optimizes your app for the best performance by splitting code so users only load what's needed
  • Route Prefetching - Next.js anticipates what routes/views users will visit next and prefetches resources in the background for faster transitions
  • Built-In CSS Support - Supports CSS and Sass for styling without needing a separate webpack config
  • API Routes - Build backend functions and APIs right in a Next.js app using serverless functions
  • Easy Deployment - Next.js is flexible for deploying as a serverless app, Docker container, Node.js app on a traditional host, and more

In summary, Next.js aims to provide an optimal developer experience and production-ready web framework for React applications with SSR and static site generation capabilities out of the box.

The Best Next.js Alternatives

Top Apps like Next.js

Hugo, Jekyll, Astro Web Framework, Gatsby, Eleventy, Nuxt.js, WP2Static, Blitz.js, Gridsome, Frontless are some alternatives to Next.js.

Hugo

Hugo is an open-source static site generator created by Steve Francia in 2013. It is written in Go programming language and optimized for speed, ease of use, and configurability.Some key features of Hugo include:Extremely fast build times as it generates static HTML contentSupports Markdown as well as JSON, YAML...

Jekyll

Jekyll is an open-source static site generator that allows you to build fast, secure websites and blogs using plain text Markdown files instead of traditional databases. It takes your content, renders Markdown and Liquid templates, and produces a complete, static website that can easily be hosted on GitHub Pages, Amazon...

Astro Web Framework

Astro is a relatively new web framework that is gaining popularity for its unique approach to building web pages and web apps. It was created by the team at Snowpack and aims to provide a faster, more lightweight alternative to traditional JavaScript frameworks like React or Vue.Some key things...

Gatsby

Gatsby is an open source framework based on React that helps developers build blazing fast websites and apps. Some key things to know about Gatsby:It builds extremely fast static websites and apps by pre-rendering into static HTML and JavaScriptUses the latest web technologies like React, GraphQL, and Webpack under...

Eleventy

Eleventy is an open-source static site generator that provides a simple way to transform various templating languages and markup formats like Markdown, HTML, JavaScript template literals, Nunjucks, Handlebars, Liquid, EJS, Haml, Pug, and JavaScript data files into static HTML sites and apps.Some key features of Eleventy:Lightweight and flexible...

Nuxt.js

Nuxt.js is an open-source framework that builds on top of Vue.js to create complex, fast, and scalable web applications more easily. Some key features and benefits of Nuxt.js include:Server-side rendering - Nuxt.js pre-renders the app on the server, ensuring better performance and SEOStatic site generation...

WP2Static

WP2Static is a popular WordPress plugin used to generate a static HTML version of your WordPress site. Some key benefits of WP2Static include:Faster performance - Static sites load much faster since they don't need to connect to a database.Improved security - Static sites are less vulnerable...

Blitz.js

Blitz.js is an open-source full-stack React framework for building web applications with speed and simplicity in mind. It builds on Next.js and aims to address common pain points like long build times, complex deployments, and lack of built-in testing support.Some key features of Blitz.js include:Zero-API...

Gridsome

Gridsome is an open-source static site generator focused on building extremely fast, secure websites and applications. Based on Vue.js and powered by GraphQL data layer, Gridsome makes it easy to fetch data from APIs or headless CMSs and render it into static pages using Vue components.Some key features...

Frontless

Frontless is an open-source website builder designed for developers and tech-savvy users who want more flexibility and control over their sites. It allows you to build sites visually using a drag-and-drop editor without needing to write any code.Some key features of Frontless include:Drag-and-drop interface to create pages and...