Building Modern Websites with Next.js

Next.js has become one of the most popular frameworks for building modern web applications. In this article, I'll share my experience and best practices for building with Next.js.

Why Next.js?

Next.js offers several compelling features:

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Improves performance and SEO
• Static Site Generation (SSG): Pre-render pages at build time
• File-based Routing: Intuitive routing based on the file system
• API Routes: Built-in API endpoints
• Image Optimization: Automatic image optimization
• TypeScript Support: First-class TypeScript support

The App Router

The new App Router in Next.js 14+ brings powerful features:

// app/page.tsx
export default function Home() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome to Next.js</h1>
    </div>
  )
}

Server Components by Default

Components in the App Router are Server Components by default, which means:

• Zero JavaScript sent to the client by default
• Faster initial page loads
• Better SEO performance
• Access to server-side resources directly

When to Use Client Components

Use Client Components when you need:

• Interactive features (onClick, onChange, etc.)
• Browser APIs (localStorage, etc.)
• React hooks (useState, useEffect, etc.)

Simply add 'use client' at the top of your file:

'use client'

import { useState } from 'react'

export default function Counter() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0)

  return (
    <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
      Count: {count}
    </button>
  )
}

Best Practices

1. Use Server Components when possible: They're faster and more efficient
2. Optimize images: Use the Next.js Image component
3. Implement proper metadata: Good SEO starts with proper meta tags
4. Static generation: Pre-render pages whenever possible
5. Code splitting: Leverage automatic code splitting

Conclusion

Next.js provides an excellent developer experience while delivering great performance for end users. Whether you're building a blog, an e-commerce site, or a complex web application, Next.js has the tools you need.

Happy coding!