If you’ve been around web development, you’ve probably heard of React. React is a library that helps you build user interfaces. It’s powerful, but it leaves you with a lot of decisions to make: How do I handle routing? SEO? Server-side rendering?
That’s where Next.js comes in.
Next.js is a framework built on top of React. You can think of it as React, but with a full toolkit already attached. It makes building modern web apps much simpler and much faster.
Here’s what you get out of the box:
- Speed — with server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG), your app loads fast and feels snappy.
- SEO-friendly pages — search engines can properly index your content, unlike plain React apps where everything is JavaScript.
- Scalability — whether you’re serving 10 people or 10 million, Next.js scales without you having to rebuild everything.
A simple analogy:
👉 React is like the engine.
👉 Next.js is like the car, complete with wheels, seats, and doors.
You could build everything yourself with React, but Next.js saves you time and headaches by giving you a structured way to start.
That’s why companies like Netflix, TikTok, Twitch, and Nike trust it for their products.
If you’re new to coding, starting with Next.js is one of the fastest ways to launch your ideas. You can go from zero to a deployed app in hours, not weeks.
💡 Startup update
I’m also building LaunchLinker — a platform to connect startups and influencers. It’s almost done and will launch soon🚀
Top comments (0)