Getting Started with Next.js

Next.js is a powerful React framework that enables you to build fast, SEO-friendly web applications. It provides a great developer experience with features like file-system based routing, API routes, and built-in CSS support.

Why Choose Next.js?

Next.js comes with several benefits out of the box:

• **Server-Side Rendering (SSR)**: Improves performance and SEO
• **Static Site Generation (SSG)**: Pre-renders pages at build time for even faster loading
• **File-system Based Routing**: Create pages by simply adding files to the `pages` directory
• **API Routes**: Build API endpoints easily within your Next.js application
• **Built-in CSS and Sass Support**: Style your application with minimal configuration
• **Fast Refresh**: See changes instantly without losing component state

Creating Your First Next.js Application

Let's walk through setting up a basic Next.js application:

npx create-next-app my-next-app
cd my-next-app
npm run dev

This will create a new Next.js project and start the development server. You can now open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000 to see your application running.

Pages and Routing

Next.js uses a file-system based router. Files you add to the pages directory automatically become available as routes.

For example:

• `pages/index.js` → `/`
• `pages/about.js` → `/about`
• `pages/blog/[slug].js` → `/blog/:slug` (Dynamic route)

Data Fetching

Next.js provides several ways to fetch data for your pages:

getStaticProps

Use getStaticProps to fetch data at build time:

export async function getStaticProps() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
  const data = await res.json()

  return {
    props: { data }, // Will be passed to the page component as props
  }
}

getServerSideProps

Use getServerSideProps to fetch data on each request:

export async function getServerSideProps() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
  const data = await res.json()

  return {
    props: { data }, // Will be passed to the page component as props
  }
}

Conclusion

Next.js is an excellent choice for building modern web applications. Its developer-friendly features, combined with the power of React, make it a top choice for projects of all sizes.

In future posts, we'll explore more advanced features of Next.js and how to use them effectively in your projects.