Client-Side Framework: NextJs

Introduction

In today's web development world, the two key success factors are interactivity and speed in the applications we develop. Traditional client-side rendering makes sites slower, particularly dealing with complex data. For that purpose, Next.js stands apart: it comes with a cool blend of server-side rendering and static site generation, and, on top of it, client-side rendering when needed.

We are going to discuss the Challenges the developers faced before the advent of Nextjs, and how the Nextjs makes itself stand out by addressing the problems becoming one of the best frameworks in the market.

Even though the Nextjs comes with a lot of good factors, it has some issues too. We are also going to have a look into those problems. Understanding the flow is necessary in every aspect of the development process so we are going to have a look into the Architecture diagram also.

What was before Nextjs?

JavaScript front-end frameworks before Next.js were React, developed by Facebook, Angular developed by Google and Vue.js, created by the developer community. Now, all these libraries really changed our notion about web development today—how the game evolved from server-rendered pages to running everything entirely within a browser, with the notion of SPA, or Single Page Applications. SPAs came with a lot of advantages, including faster page transitions and a much more dynamic user experience, but they also brought with them challenges—especially on the front of search engine optimization, first load times, and generally the performance.

The Challenges with Single Page Applications (SPAs)

• SEO Limitations: SPAs render content on the client side after the JavaScript has loaded. This approach created issues for search engines, which struggled to index content effectively. While solutions like server-side rendering (SSR) existed, implementing SSR manually was complex and time-consuming.

• Initial Load Times: SPAs often required loading large JavaScript bundles before rendering the first page, leading to slower initial load times. Users had to wait longer to see content, especially on slower networks, which could negatively impact user experience.

• Routing and Code Splitting: Managing routing and code splitting in SPAs was inconvenient. Developers had to implement these features manually or rely on third-party libraries, increasing the complexity of the application.

• Development Workflow: Traditional frameworks did not provide an out-of-the-box solution for SSR, static site generation (SSG), or automated code splitting. This required developers to either build custom solutions or integrate multiple tools and libraries, complicating the development process.

Early Attempts at Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

Before Next.js, server-side rendering was usually handled by custom Express.js setups or other Node.js frameworks. However, these solutions often required significant boilerplate code, and maintaining them was difficult, especially as the complexity of the application grew. Tools like ReactDOMServer provided SSR capabilities, but they lacked the flexibility, ease of use, and performance optimizations that modern developers required.

Objectives of Nextjs:

Resolve SEO Challenges in SPAs:

Address the SEO limitations of traditional Single Page Applications by providing seamless server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG), ensuring that content is easily indexable by search engines.

Reduce Initial Load Times:

Improve the user experience by optimizing the initial load times through efficient code splitting and server-rendered content, allowing faster access to visible content.

Simplify Routing and Code Management:

Simplify the development process by offering built-in routing and automatic code splitting, eliminating the need for manual setup and third-party libraries.

Streamline the Development Workflow:

Provide an all-in-one solution that integrates SSR, SSG, and other essential features, reducing the need for complex setups and custom configurations, and allowing developers to focus on building features rather than managing infrastructure.

Enhance Developer Productivity and Application Scalability:

Empower developers to build scalable, high-performance web applications with minimal effort, using Next.js’s powerful features designed to overcome the limitations of traditional frameworks.

Architecture Diagram of Nextjs:

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Advantages Disadvantages

Real World Example:

“How Hashnode uses NextJs”

Hashnode leverages several key features of the Next.js framework to create a performant and scalable blogging platform. They use Server-Side Rendering (SSR) for improved SEO, ensuring blog posts are rendered on the server and indexed properly by search engines. For static content like landing pages, they utilize Static Site Generation (SSG), enabling faster load times by pre-rendering pages at build time. Image optimization in Next.js helps Hashnode deliver responsive images in modern formats like WebP, while dynamic imports and code splitting reduce initial page load times by loading only the necessary code.

Additionally, Hashnode benefits from Next.js' file-based routing for easy URL management, and the API routes feature, which simplifies handling backend tasks like user authentication and blog interactions within the framework. The built-in SEO and metadata management with next/head allows each blog post to have optimized metadata, boosting search rankings. This combination of features ensures that Hashnode delivers a fast, scalable, and SEO-friendly platform with an excellent user experience.

Some other websites using NextJs:

TikTok, Hashnode, Twitch Mobile, Spotify, Washington Post, Hulu, Max, Binance, Ticketmaster, Solana, Deliveroo, AT&T, TicketSwap, Target, Nike, Learn Squared, PlayStation Competition Center, Marvel, Devolver Digital, Netflix Jobs, Copy.ai, Claude, Leonardo.Ai, Typeform, InVision, Pusher, Vercel.