Next.js
A React framework for building websites and web apps with server rendering and routing built in.
- Stars
- 143k
- Forks
- 33.6k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Framework
What it is
Next.js is a framework built on top of React, the JavaScript library for user interfaces. It adds features such as page routing, server rendering, and static site generation so that a React project can be a complete website or web app. Developers use it to ship React applications with less custom setup.
- Build a multi-page marketing or documentation site with static generation
- Create a web app with server-rendered pages for faster first load
- Add API routes alongside frontend pages in one project
Great for
- Developers already comfortable with React who want a full framework around it
- Teams building sites that need server rendering or static generation
- Projects that want routing and build tooling included rather than assembled by hand
Not ideal for
- Complete beginners with no JavaScript or React experience, since the framework assumes those basics
- Simple static pages where a plain HTML file or lighter static generator would be enough
- Teams that want a framework-agnostic setup, because Next.js is tied to React
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js
Create a new app (command from the project's standard setup)
npx create-next-app@latest - 2
Run it
- Run the create command in a terminal and follow the prompts
- Change into the new project folder
- Start the development server with the scripts the project generates
- Open the local address shown in the terminal in a browser
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the official documentation at nextjs.org for routing and rendering options
- Use static generation for pages that do not change often
- Use API routes for backend logic that lives next to your frontend
Downloads
Strengths
- Built on React, so it uses a widely known component model
- Supports both server rendering and static generation in one framework
- Open source under the MIT license with a large community (about 143k stars)
Trade-offs
- Requires understanding of React and modern JavaScript tooling
- The README excerpt provided is truncated, so detailed feature coverage is limited here
- Framework conventions and version changes mean projects may need upgrades over time
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| next.js (this) | 143k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers already comfortable with React who want a full framework around it |
| remix | 33.4k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want a framework built on standard Web APIs rather than Node-specific ones |
| gatsby | 55.9k | Framework | intermediate | 17 days ago | Developers building content-heavy sites such as blogs or documentation |
| nuxt | 61k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who already know Vue.js and want a structured full-stack setup |
| nextra | 13.9k | Framework | intermediate | 3 months ago | Developers who want a documentation site built on Next.js and React |
| react-static | 10.3k | Framework | intermediate | 4.0 years ago | Developers who already know React and want a static site |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.