When building a web app, developers often face a critical decision: Should I use React or Next.js? Both are powerful, but they serve different purposes.
React: The Foundation
React is a library for building UI components. Itโs flexible, component-driven, and widely used. However, it lacks built-in routing, server-side rendering (SSR), and SEO optimizations, requiring additional libraries like react-router.
Next.js: The Enhanced Framework
Next.js is a framework built on top of React. It includes file-based routing, SSR, static site generation (SSG), and built-in API routes, making it more suitable for SEO-friendly and high-performance applications.
Key Differences: A Quick Comparison
| Feature | React | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Routing | Manual (react-router) |
Automatic (File-based) |
| SEO | Client-Side Rendering (CSR) | SSR, SSG, CSR support |
| Performance | Needs optimization | Optimized out of the box |
| API Handling | External backend required | Built-in API routes |
| Deployment | Requires configuration | Optimized for Vercel, easy to deploy |
๐ So, which one should you choose? If you need a custom setup with full control, go for React. If you want better SEO, performance, and built-in features, Next.js is the way to go.
๐ Continue reading for a deep dive:
๐ Read the full blog
Top comments (11)
Nice comparison. From my point of view,
๐๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐.๐ท๐ if you want to build an application that is SEO-enhanced, that is, it can be found on search engines such as Google. It is ideal for the development of websites that require SEO improvements.
๐๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐.๐ท๐ if your application is primed for security and the user needs to log in first before getting access to the content. There, SEO is less of a priority, and thus, React.js is enough.
Most hosting companies allow the deployment of an application developed on React.js without straining their pockets.
However, hosting providers for Next.js applications may be optimal for SSG, SSR, caching, and image optimization and may raise the budget significantly (e.g., Vercel).
Next.js has some excellent features; however, if your application is pretty much behind a login page with no consideration for SEO, then React.js is a good choice.
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Yogesh โ you bring up some really solid points!
Next.js is indeed a powerful choice when SEO is a key priority, especially with its SSR and SSG capabilities that make it easier for search engines to crawl and index content. The automatic image optimization and caching features are also huge advantages for SEO-focused sites.
On the other hand, youโre right about React.js being a great option for apps where security and user authentication are the main focus. When SEO isnโt critical and youโre building an app thatโs more behind a login or behind-the-scenes functionality, React offers a simpler, cost-effective solution thatโs easy to deploy without worrying about those additional optimizations.
It all really comes down to the specific needs of the project โ SEO vs. security and cost. Thanks again for adding this valuable insight into the discussion!
โ Deepak | The Campus Coders
Nice. I really like how youโve highlighted the strengths of both Next.js and React.js in such a clear and concise way. Thank you๐
You can choose Waku, a React 19 framework. React 19 leverages the use of Server Components and Server Actions, along with the use of
Suspensecomponent andusefunction from React to fetch data efficiently from within the Client Side. If you want to use React 19 it is recommended to use a framework.See this post for the use of Waku with React Server Components and Server Actions to fetch data from within the Client Side (with
Suspenseanduse) and this other post in the case you want to take the hard way of using React 19 (and hence Server Components and Server Actions) without a framework (not recommended).Thanks for the tip, roggc โ Waku sounds like an interesting addition to the landscape, especially with React 19's new features like Server Components and Server Actions.
Itโs great to see the React ecosystem evolving with these built-in server-side capabilities, and having tools like Waku that make it easier to manage these features out of the box is definitely worth considering. Suspense and use are definitely powerful tools for optimizing data fetching and rendering, and using a framework that supports these from the get-go can make life a lot easier.
Iโll check out the posts you linked โ sounds like a cool direction for React developers looking to experiment with cutting-edge features. Appreciate you sharing!
โ Deepak | The Campus Coders
Nice :-) but there's also Inertia which is an alternative to Next.js and also supports Vue. With Inertia, you get a powerful backend framework (Laravel) to build complex backends. Next.js is fine until you need to do more complex none UI-related tasks, you have to manually configure everything yourself.
With Intertia you get access to powerful tools like Horizon, which will allow you to scale horizontally to multiple servers and distribute your workloads quite effectively.
Great point, Kevin โ and thanks for bringing Inertia into the conversation!
You're absolutely right โ while Next.js shines for frontend-heavy apps and gives you a ton of flexibility, Inertia paired with something like Laravel can be a game-changer when you need a more backend-driven approach without sacrificing that modern SPA feel.
Tools like Horizon add serious firepower when it comes to scaling and real-time capabilities โ and having it all integrated within Laravel's ecosystem can definitely simplify things for certain types of projects.
Appreciate the thoughtful insight โ itโs always good to explore the right tool for the right job!
โ Deepak | The Campus Coders
Great breakdown! Personally, I love Next.js for its built-in optimizations and how easy it makes routing and SEO. The automatic static generation is a game-changer!
Absolutely! Next.js really shines with its built-in optimizations. The combination of SSR, SSG, and ISR makes it a powerhouse for performance and SEO. Have you found any specific use cases where Next.js gave you a major boost?
Absolutely! One of the biggest advantages Iโve seen with Next.js was in a project where SEO was a top priority. Switching from Reactโs CSR to Next.jsโs SSR & SSG significantly improved page load speed and search rankings. Also, file-based routing saved a ton of setup time.
Totally agree! Next.js makes SEO optimization so much easier, and the speed improvements are noticeable. File-based routing is a lifesaver too! Did you face any hurdles while migrating from React CSR?