Nextjs is a full-stack solution for your web application, with server-side rendering through server components at its core. The Nextjs website offers a well-developed learning program to quickly acquire basic knowledge. From the creators of Nextjs and Vercel, there is now an AI chat interface called V0. With V0, you can create websites based on Nextjs in no time.
Through my current project, I have become very enthusiastic about Nextjs. It is a full-stack React framework that allows you to create fast, robust websites. In this article, I briefly describe my learning path and share some fun tips to quickly get the hang of Nextjs. Additionally, I have a mega tip to create an entire website based on Nextjs in no time.
Why Nextjs
Nextjs offers a full-stack solution for your web application. Server-side rendering (SSR) is the default, made possible by React Server Components. Communication with a server can happen directly from such a component, eliminating the need for a call from the frontend. SSR makes your web application faster and more discoverable than single-page applications that are purely loaded in the browser, like React and other client-side frameworks. Additionally, Nextjs offers a wide range of components, such as next/image, which ensures optimal speed and UX for images. Be sure to check out the website Nextjs for more of what Nextjs has to offer.
Where to Start
It is not a requirement, but it is helpful if you are already familiar with React. I started with an online course by Maximilian Schwarzmüller. Although this is an excellent course, I recommend first following the learning module on the Nextjs website (found under the 'Learn' button). In this module, you learn all the important features through a project. Good to know: Nextjs distinguishes between the 'pages router' and the 'app router'. This refers to how the folder structure (and thus the routes) are built. A route is the path to a page that can be accessed by the visitor via the URL. For example, a blog page could be found at www.example.com/blog. With the Nextjs app router, you simply create a folder named blog and place a page.tsx file in it to create this route. The pages router is still maintained but will eventually be completely replaced by the app router. The learning modules therefore focus on the app router, but both can be found in the docs.
Get to the Next Level Faster!
If you have laid a foundation in Nextjs or prefer to be launched with a cannon, it's time to enlist V0. V0 is an AI chat interface very similar to ChatGPT, available and tryable at V0. V0 is specifically trained in Nextjs, Shadcn, Vercel, and all libraries that work well with these technologies. You need a free account with Vercel to use V0. After that, you can start generating code right away. So, if you want to build web applications at the speed of AI and think Nextjs is the tool to do it, V0 is the rocket to board. You give a command through prompts, and V0 thinks along, makes suggestions, and writes the code. Prompts can be in English or Dutch. Try the following prompt in V0 to launch your web app:
"Write the basic code for a modern website with a homepage, about us page, blog page, and contact page based on Nextjs and using the app router. Each page should have some sample content. After writing the code, I would like instructions on how to deploy this website with Vercel."
Questions or want to know more about Nextjs? Feel free to send me a message, preferably via LinkedIn.