Next.js: The powerful framework built on React

React is one of the most popular libraries for building user interfaces. With React, you can create reusable components, manage dynamic data using hooks, and build interactive web applications efficiently.

React is amazing for building user interfaces — but what if you want faster performance, better SEO, and full-stack capabilities?

That’s where Next.js comes in.

Next.js was originally designed to improve React’s performance by using server-side rendering for faster page loading, smooth navigation, and it lets you add backend features — all in one framework.

So, to learn Next.js, It's important to know basics of React.js, JSX and JavaScript. And also, knowledge of React Server components (introduced in Next.js 13) makes it easier.

Why use Next.js over React.js?

• js comes with built-in routing, so there's no need to use React Router.
• Its server-side rendering makes apps faster by rendering content on the server before sending it to the browser, which also improves SEO.
• js uses file-based routing, so you don’t need to manually define routes.
• It’s easy to deploy and supports both frontend and backend development in a single project using API routes.
• js offers automatic performance optimizations, built-in image optimization, and support for static site generation — making it a complete framework for building modern web applications.

For the frontend, Next.js uses React.js along with support for Server Components, allowing better performance and flexibility. For the backend, Next.js allows you to write server-side logic within the same project using API routes—JavaScript or TypeScript functions that act as backend endpoints.

Next.js uses file- structure-based routing, which means routes are created based on  folder and file structure. That’s why it’s important to name files and folders carefully and follow Next.js naming conventions to avoid confusion and maintain a clean, scalable project structure.

Common folders and files in a Next.js project include:

• pages, app, api, components, public, and styles folders
• Files such as page.js (or page.jsx / page.tsx) and layout.js (or layout.jsx / layout.tsx)

The framework uses these folders and files to define pages, layouts, API routes, and other essential parts of the application’s structure.

Because of this, it’s important to follow these conventions and avoid renaming or changing these folder and file names; otherwise, it can break your app’s routing and functionality.

Next.js is also capable of handling authentication, making it easy to add user login and secure access features. Popular authentication methods include Auth.js (formerly NextAuth.js), and other libraries or frameworks depending on the project’s needs.

For database interaction, Next.js can connect to databases such as MySQL, MongoDB, and SQL Server, among others. Common libraries used for this purpose include Prisma (a modern ORM that works well with SQL databases) and Mongoose (widely used with MongoDB).

These capabilities—handling both frontend and backend logic including authentication and database interactions — make Next.js a full-stack framework.

Next.js offers more than React by combining powerful features like:

• Server and client rendering
• Easy API and database integration
• Fast loading
• Built-in authentication support
• Simple file-based routing

Because of this, Next.js is often the preferred choice for building modern, full-stack web applications compared to using React alone.