React vs Next.js: Choosing the Right Tool for Your Project

React and Next.js are both JavaScript libraries used for building user interfaces. React is a library for building UI components, while Next.js is a framework built on top of React.

Some of the main differences are:

React

React is a library for building UI components.
It focuses only on the view layer.
You have to configure tools like Webpack, Babel and ESLint yourself.
Data fetching is done using React Hooks or third-party libraries.
Routing is done using React Router.

import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import { BrowserRouter, Route } from 'react-router-dom';

function App() {
  return (
    <BrowserRouter>
      <Route path="/" component={Home} />
      <Route path="/about" component={About} />
    </BrowserRouter>  
  );
}

ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById('root'));

Next.js

Next.js is a framework built on top of React.
It handles server-side rendering and routing out of the box.
Comes with Zero-config tooling like Webpack and Babel.
Has built-in data fetching APIs.
File-based routing.

// pages/index.js
function Home() {
  return <h1>Home</h1>
}

export default Home

// pages/about.js
function About() {
  return <h1>About</h1> 
}

export default About

In summary, React gives you more control and flexibility while Next.js provides a more structured development environment with features built-in.

React is a good choice for applications where you need full control over the architecture, while Next.js is ideal for simpler data-driven apps that need performance and SEO out of the box.

Hope this helps clarify the difference between React and Next.js! Let me know if you have any other questions.

React vs Next.js: Choosing the Right Tool for Your Project

Table of contents

React

Next.js