React vs Next.js: Which One Should You Learn First?

#javascript #nextjs #react #frontend

The modern JavaScript ecosystem is vibrant, but for newcomers, the choice between React and Next.js can be confusing. Is one an alternative to the other? Do you need to learn one before the other?

The short answer is: Start with React, then move to Next.js.

To understand why, let's first clarify what each tool is.

What Are React and Next.js?

React (A JavaScript Library)

What it is: React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces (UIs) or, more specifically, UI components. It focuses on the view layer of your application.
Key Concept: It uses a component-based architecture and a Virtual DOM for efficient rendering and updates.
Default Rendering: React typically uses Client-Side Rendering (CSR), where the browser downloads a minimal HTML page and then uses JavaScript to fetch data and render the content on the client's machine.
Developer Experience: While powerful, a pure React application (often created with tools like Create React App or Vite) requires you to manually set up other crucial features like:
Routing (e.g., using react-router-dom)

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) for better SEO and performance

Optimized bundling and build configuration

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Next.js (A React Framework)

What it is: Next.js is a full-stack React Framework built on top of React. It takes the core of React (the UI components) and provides the structure, tooling, and out-of-the-box features needed to build a complete, production-ready application.

Key Concepts: It is an opinionated solution that solves many of the challenges plain React faces.

Key Features:

Built-in Routing: Uses a simple file-system-based routing system.
Server-Side Rendering (SSR) & Static Site Generation (SSG): Provides multiple rendering options that drastically improve performance and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
API Routes: Allows you to create your backend API right within the same project.
Automatic Code Splitting and Optimization.

My Recommendation

Next.js is a React.js framework so that means you have to first learn React.js first. You don't necessarily need to learn everything single topic of react but you need to have a good and clean knowledge of React.