Technology Overview
Next.js & React — Web App Development
React is the world's most popular UI library. Next.js is the production-ready framework built on top of React that adds server-side rendering, static generation, routing, and full-stack API capabilities.
What Is React?
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, developed by Meta. It introduced the component model — reusable, composable UI building blocks — and the virtual DOM for efficient UI updates. React uses JSX, a syntax extension that lets you write HTML-like code inside JavaScript.
React itself is intentionally minimal: it handles the view layer only. Routing, data fetching, styling, and state management are handled by the surrounding ecosystem. Next.js assembles these into a cohesive, production-ready framework.
What Is Next.js?
Next.js is a React framework developed by Vercel. It adds file-based routing, server-side rendering (SSR), static site generation (SSG), incremental static regeneration (ISR), and API routes to React — giving you a complete solution for building production web applications.
App Router
Next.js 13+ App Router uses React Server Components for fine-grained control over what runs on the server vs. client.
Static & Server Rendering
Pages can be statically generated at build time or rendered per-request on the server — or a mix of both.
API Routes
Build backend API endpoints inside the same project as your frontend — no separate server required.
Image & Font Optimisation
Built-in image optimisation (WebP conversion, lazy loading) and font subsetting via next/font.
TypeScript Support
First-class TypeScript support with automatic type checking and auto-generated route types.
Middleware
Edge-runtime middleware for auth, localisation, A/B testing, and request rewriting at the CDN level.
When to Use Next.js
Good fit for:
- ✓SaaS applications with authenticated dashboards
- ✓Marketing sites that need SSR for SEO
- ✓E-commerce with server-rendered product pages
- ✓Full-stack apps with API routes
- ✓Apps needing ISR for frequently updated content
Consider alternatives for:
- →Fully static sites with no dynamic routes (Astro is more efficient)
- →Very simple landing pages with no React required
- →Apps where server infrastructure is not desired
Next.js & React at Elmeris
Elmeris builds web applications and SaaS products using Next.js and React. We use the App Router, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and Prisma for data access. For static marketing sites (like this one), we prefer Astro for its zero-JS default. For dynamic SaaS dashboards and data-driven apps, Next.js is our standard choice.
Building a web app with Next.js?
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