React or NextJS? When developing your Front-End website, many popular options will help you achieve the desired result, but which one is the best for your needs and level of experience if you are coding it yourself? Let’s unfold the pros and cons when using React or Next.Js, and then you can choose the one that suits you best.
React is a well-known JavaScript open-source library for building user interfaces (UI). With more than 200k starts on GitHub, this library assists the developer in creating simple and fast Front-End interfaces for a single or multi-page web application.
Applications such as Netflix, Google Maps and Airbnb are SPA. The user will download the application or page data with the first click; once opened, it will not load with a subsequent click. It would run only as a browser-based application.
With a SPA approach, the page will fully load at the beginning then any requests by the user do not need to reach the server and come back to have any minor application changes.
When the SPA first requests information from the primary server can save the data locally, and even if the internet connection is not strong at any given time, the user can continue using the page.
As the user can scroll down to where the information is without needing to select links or menu displays, the experience is more enjoyable.
Usually, a user will hit the button back to get the information from the previous page but remember this is a SPA; therefore, if you hit the back button, it will take you out of the application or page.
The SPA works on Javascript based on an unchanged URL; having the application or website only on one page becomes a disadvantage as there is no uniqueness in addresses. However, Google has an algorithm for dynamic index SPA that could help your site.
MPA are web applications that hold multiple pages, opposite to the SPA; in the MPA, every time the user clicks a link, it will load the page. A multi-page application will need a data transfer from the server to the browser to process the new request.
A website aims to be present in the first ten results in Google’s search. Therefore, they will have to try to rank their pages with the help of SEO.
A developer creating an MPA website can decide freely how many pages the application will have or if a selected product will open a whole new page. There are no limitations in this regard.
MPA allows an effortless integration into Googles Analytics, providing a step ahead of your consumer’s behaviour and clues on where to improve your website.
NextJs is a comprehensive development environment created by Vercel to top up React. The Javascript framework is open-source, based on Node.JS and Babel, plus integrating the React features will develop dynamic/static websites and applications.
NextJs is ideal for creating ECommerce and Marketing websites and landing pages. It has become a popular framework among Front-End developers due to its preview mode, static export and pre-rendering features.
Therefore, we go back to the same question, which one should I use?
The simple answer is: it depends. Are you going to do the Front-End of your project or application? Are you using an experienced developer? What is the primary goal of your website?
Let’s take a look at some comparisons between React and NextJs:
Any website or application will aim for the best performance possible. As it will translate into visits to your site, sales and eventually profit for your business.
NextJs application’s performance is high-speed due to the combination of the static destination and server-side rendering. On the other hand, React counts only with server-side rendering, which, unfortunately, is not enough to make a high-performance application.
React is a well-known Java script library; therefore, it is a must-know for experienced developers; in contrast to NextJs, it can take some research to find a confident and professional developer to create your project with this framework.
To sum up, have in mind the purpose of your project or application. NextJs will offer you the best server-site rendering and static destination, maximising your application performance. Meanwhile, React is the first choice when creating Single-page applications.
React is an open-source library and the foundation for the NextJs framework.
Suppose you are still figuring out where to start. We are here to make your life easier. Our expert developers at BigSix Studio will discuss the best suitable options for your needs and promptly deliver the application your business deserves.
Send us your details and we will contact you as soon as possible to start getting your project forward
