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Introduction to Next.js

Introduction to Next.js

Eric Stober / August 10, 2024

Next.js is a powerful React framework that makes it easy to build server-rendered React applications. This post will introduce you to the basics of Next.js.

What is Next.js?

Next.js is a React framework that allows you to build server-rendered React applications with ease. It provides a number of features out of the box, such as server-side rendering, static site generation, and API routes, that make it easy to build fast and scalable React applications.

export default function Home() {
  return <h1>Hello, Next.js!</h1>;
}

Why use Next.js?

Next.js is a great choice for building server-rendered React applications because it provides a number of features that make it easy to build fast and scalable applications. Some of the key features of Next.js include:

  • Server-side rendering: Next.js allows you to render your React components on the server, which can improve performance and SEO.
  • Static site generation: Next.js can generate static HTML files for your pages at build time, which can improve performance and reduce hosting costs.
  • API routes: Next.js allows you to create API routes that can be used to fetch data from external APIs or perform server-side logic.

How to use Next.js

To use Next.js, you need to create a new Next.js project by running the following command:

npx create-next-app my-app

This will create a new Next.js project in a directory called my-app. You can then navigate to the project directory and start the development server by running the following command:

cd my-app
npm run dev

This will start the development server and open your Next.js application in your browser. You can then start building your application by creating new pages, components, and API routes.

Conclusion

Next.js is a powerful React framework that makes it easy to build server-rendered React applications. This post has introduced you to the basics of Next.js and explained why you might want to use it in your projects.