Next.Js, Node.Js, and React.Js — unboxing the developer toolkit

Next.js changed the game of web development by offering architectural modularity. Developers and codes now have the power and flexibility to choose components for UI construction and manage their own state. This promotes reusability and easier maintenance amongst developers.

Zooming out, even Next.js isn’t an entirely independent module, it is composed alongside React.js and Node.js. Understanding this intersection is important to realize why Next.js is a must for developers and the benefits it offers.

This blog explains the fundamentals of the JavaScript framework, what Next.js enables, and a brief overview of Next.js’s key features.

Unboxing the JavaScript full-stack toolkit

Simply put, Next.js is a JavaScript (JS) framework that allows developers to build web applications.

However, at a fundamental level, Next.js is the intersection of a few other core development components i.e. React.js and Node.js.

So, let’s understand these individually and then move on to Next.js.

1. React.js: The UI layer

React.js is a JavaScript library that helps build the user-facing layer of web applications.

Composibility i.e. component-based architecture is the crux of React.js as it consists of interactive and reusable elements which can be used as building blocks for a user interface. React.js also uses a virtual DOM (Document object model) which minimizes unnecessary re-renders and updates, resulting in a smooth and responsive user experience.

2. Node.js: The server-side platform

Node.js is a runtime environment that executes JavaScript code on the server side.

It operates on a single-threaded event loop, using non-blocking I/O calls, simultaneously allowing it to handle millions of site interactions. This makes Node.js ideal for building APIs, microservices, real-time apps, and similar scalable, high-traffic applications.

Node.js has a rich ecosystem of packages and modules, and an active community, making it a go-to choice for building high-performing applications.

3. Next.js: The framework that brings it all together

Next.js is a unified framework built on top of React.js and Node.js and is used to build web applications.

Its architecture is designed to simplify routing, data fetching, code splitting, and complex backend tasks. Along with these capabilities, Next.js comes with built-in automatic image optimization and asset caching that enables SEO-friendly web applications.

The seamless integration of Next.js with React library and Node.js makes it easier for developers to build production-ready applications in a single place.

Why is Next.js a must-have for developers?

Next.js offers several unique features like server-side rendering, automatic code splitting, and more. But, how do these features translate into making web3 development simpler?

Here are five ways Next.js improves the developer experience in web3:

1. Improved performance and user experience

Next.js’s server-side rendering and static site generation capabilities vastly improve the performance of websites and applications, reducing the load time to near nil. Since the page is pre-rendered, users receive content faster and can interact without any wait.

This is a must-have for content-heavy sites where speed and accessibility are the top priorities.

Use cases this benefit enables:

• Blockchain games
• Real-time DeFi dashboards
• DEX trading
• NFT marketplaces
• Decentralized social media platforms

2. Enhanced discoverability (SEO)

Next.js’s server-side rendering helps in improving the discoverability of apps and websites within search engines.

By delivering fully rendered HTML pages to the client, Next.js enables search engines to easily crawl and index web3 apps. Also, Next.js has many built-in SEO-friendly features, such as customizable meta tags and URL routing, to further improve visibility and accessibility, essentially driving more organic traffic.

Enhanced discoverability has huge upsides for web3 like:

• Promotes decentralized content publishing like blogs on Mirror.xyz
• Drives traffic towards decentralized e-commerce
• Improves indexing for decentralized marketplaces like Opensea
• Reduces phishing scams and fake websites

3. Scalability

Next.js’s built-in code splitting and optimized bundling mechanism means the client only receives the absolute minimum required code to load a page or application. This reduces the bundle size and improves scalability.

On top of this, Next.js supports API routes which allow developers to create serverless functions. This translates to performance efficiency, irrespective of traffic volume.

With improved scalability, Next.js-built sites can facilitate:

• High volumes of concurrent transactions and users on DEXs
• A sudden surge in on-chain activities like airdrop claims and NFT mints
• Varying volume of activities and users on blockchain games and decentralized social media platforms.

4. Flexibility in data fetching

Next.js offers immense flexibility and efficiency in data fetching, making it easier to integrate data sources into applications and websites. Developers and teams can employ server-side fetching or incremental static regeneration (ISR) or even client-side fetching, whichever is best suited to their requirements.

Furthermore, Next.js also natively enables revalidation and caching strategies to reduce spammy network requests.

Ultimately, simplified data retrieval and management processes mean developers can build innovative features and utilities on top of these reliable and rich data funnels.

By sourcing richer and performant data from sources like blockchain oracles, and smart contract state data, developers can build use cases like:

• Multichain or cross-chain DEXs and protocols
• DEX aggregators
• Dynamic updation of onchain portfolios and market data
• Content delivery for decentralized social media apps
• Real-world asset (RWA) marketplaces

5. Efficient developer experience

Next.js provides a unified developer experience with the front-end capabilities of the React library and the server-side ability of Node.js.

Apart from that, Next.js’s built-in technical features like intuitive APIs and automatic code splitting further help developers build and iterate quickly. Alongside, Next.js seamlessly integrates with web3-specific libraries like web3.js and ethers.js, further simplifying the developer experience.

On top of this, Next.js has an active community which is a valuable resource for any new developer to find support and help.

Next.js further improves the developer experience by,

• Enabling rapid prototyping and debugging
• Facilitating collaborative development
• Offering an extensive plugin ecosystem
• Providing a goldmine of educational resources, tutorials, and best practices

💡Read this step-by-step guide to deploy a Next.js app to Fleek.xyz

FAQs — Frequently asked questions

1. Can I store my Next.js application’s data on decentralized storage solutions like IPFS or Filecoin?

Yes, Fleek.xyz allows you to store your Next.js application’s files and data on various decentralized storage solutions, such as IPFS, Filecoin, or Arweave.

2. What advantages does serverless deployment on Fleek offer for Next.js applications?

Serverless deployment on Fleek allows Next.js applications to scale automatically without managing servers.