The Ultimate Next.js Handbook: From Fundamentals to Full-Stack Mastery

Introduction

Next.js is a powerful React framework that enables developers to build production-ready web applications with features like server-side rendering, static site generation, and API routes.1 This handbook provides a comprehensive guide to Next.js, covering its fundamentals, routing system, rendering methods, styling options, and more.2

Module 1: Next.js Fundamentals

1.1 What is Next.js? Why use it over Create React App (CRA)?

Next.js vs. Create React App (CRA): A Comparative Analysis

Overview

• Next.js is a comprehensive React framework designed for building production-ready web applications.

  It extends React by offering a structured development environment with built-in capabilities that optimize performance, developer experience, and application scalability.

• In contrast, Create React App (CRA) serves primarily as a tool for bootstrapping client-side rendered (CSR) single-page applications (SPAs).

  CRA lacks native support for advanced rendering strategies such as SSR and SSG.

Challenges with CRA

• Slow Initial Load Times:

  Large-scale SPAs developed with CRA often experience increased Time to First Paint (TTFP) and slower initial page rendering.

• Manual Optimization Required:

  Performance enhancements such as code splitting or route-based optimizations typically require manual configuration in CRA.

Next.js: Built-in Solutions

Next.js resolves the aforementioned limitations by incorporating server-side and build-time rendering methodologies:

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
• Static Site Generation (SSG)
• Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR)
• Client-Side Rendering (CSR)