Next.js vs Gatsby – Which is the Best React Framework

In order to build UI web applications, React is a well-known open-source library. Gatsby and Next JS are two of the most popular React frameworks that are dominating the user base. Using these front-end frameworks, you can build robust React websites with features such as SSG and SSR.

Both these frameworks have high-end features and a robust toolset, which you can use to facilitate static site development and create an SEO-friendly website. There are plenty of similarities between Gatsby and Next JS which is making it difficult for users to choose between them.

In this article, we will go through all the similarities and differences between Next JS and Gatsby, their features, best use cases, and many more.

What is Next JS?

Vercel built Next JS, an open-source framework, created on top of React. It was built to streamline the modern web application development procedure. By default, this React framework will pre-render pages to improve the application’s performance.

Using the Next JS framework, it is possible to customize or fully substitute its components without too much difficulty. This framework comes with a broad set of tools that you can use to develop dynamic web page content and create modern, fast websites and web applications.

Main Features Of Next JS

Netflix, Nike, Twitch, Apple, Invision, Uber, Docker and TikTok are some of the large-scale and popular companies that use the Next JS framework because of their high-end features. Some of the primary features of Next JS are listed here:

• Auto Code Splitting: Pages are rendered depending on the libraries that are required. Also, you can load only a certain amount of JavaScript functions that are essential to operate those pages. This makes sure that the first page is loaded as quickly as possible.
• Lazy Loading: It is possible to load only the vital components that are required, which will enhance the performance of your website. With lazy loading, you can control slow loading and offer a better user experience.
• Hot Code Reloading/Fast Refresh: Even without reloading the page, you can notice all the modifications that are made to the applications swiftly. Whenever a markdown element is changed, the page will be automatically refreshed.
• Automatic Routing: All the files that are present in the pages directory will automatically become a route. So you do not have to create an additional setup for routing. This framework has a page-based routing system and supports dynamic routes.

What Is Gatsby?

Gatsby is also a widely used front-end framework that is created on top of React and GraphQL. Gatsby has its own ecosystem that contains plenty of pre-built themes and starters, which make it easy for developers to create websites and applications swiftly.

This framework is popular for its static site generation capabilities. Because of the modular architecture of the Gatsby framework, developers can add plugins and extensions with ease in order to enhance its functionality. By default, this framework is extendable, and you can develop websites quickly and efficiently.

Main Features Of Gatsby

Due to the powerful features of Gatsby, it is used by giant companies like Snapchat, Calendly, National Geographic UK, Cloudflare, Revolut, Ahrefs, Tinder, etc. Some of the essential features of Gatsby framework are listed below:

• Extensive Open Source Ecosystem: Gatsby is open-source and is known for its big community. It comes with its own extensive ecosystem that has over 2000 plugins, so you can easily find and use ready-made tools.
• Code Splitting: It makes sure to send only the required code for the pages, which enhances speed and performance. This framework will divide the JavaScript and make sure the final user receives a better and quicker experience.
• Load Data from Anywhere: You can load your data from anywhere, and there is no need for manual integration. Also, it is easy to integrate with SaaS solutions and other third-party tools, enhancing flexibility and ensuring better user experience.
• Progressive Web Application Support: It allows you to create progressive web apps and comes with a Gatsby-plugin-pwa, which you can use to create progressive web apps with less coding and configuration.
• Low Hosting Cost: It is possible to host your site freely on Gatsby Cloud or pay a little to host on a CDN. This is because Gatsby sites do not need servers and can be hosted on edge via a CDN, so you can avoid traditional hosting costs.

Next JS vs Gatsby: What Are The Similarities

These React-based front-end frameworks are popularly used for developing powerful websites. Both Gatsby and Next JS share some similarities, such as enhanced SEO features, supporting incremental build models, offering high-end features, etc. The primary similarities of Gatsby vs Next JS are mentioned below.

1. Incremental Building

For developing a wide variety of web applications, Gatsby and Next JS are two of the widely used JavaScript frameworks. They support the incremental build model, so developers can modify the content without having to update the whole page. Due to that, the build time will be less.

2. Enhanced SEO

SEO is a vital aspect for websites to reach the target audience. Next JS and Gatsby come with SSR and various plugins, which makes it possible for the SEO spiderbot to index your website quickly. In addition to that, they have the capacity to import and export HTML elements to CND databases, which will improve the speed of page loading and enhance site performance.

3. Incredible Features

Next JS and Gatsby have some of the top-tier features that allow developers to build web apps quickly and efficiently. They are also the best to create dynamic web page content and build high-performance apps. Some of the best features are hot reloading, performance-catching, code splitting, built-in routing, pre-rendering, asynchronous prefetching, and many more.

4. Robust Websites

With Next JS and Gatsby, you can build robust websites with minimal effort. As these frameworks are pre-rendered HTML and SEO-optimized, the content will be easily accessible to the target users. In addition to that, they have so many plugins which you use to add high-end features to your website and enhance site functionality.

5. Developer Experience

Both these frameworks have extensive documentation and you can use it to add more features to your existing site or app. If you are familiar with the fundamentals of React, it is enough to build web apps using Next JS and Gatsby frameworks. So, it is not necessary to know how to develop a site from scratch.

Next JS vs Gatsby: What Are The Differences

The differences between Next JS and Gatsby set them apart and make them ideal for different applications. The Next JS vs Gatsby differences include data handling, page rendering, scalability, extensibility, data security, server use, etc. The primary differences between Next JS and Gatsby are listed in the below table.

Difference	Next JS	Gatsby
Data Handling	Next JS framework gives you full control when it comes to managing your data.	Gatsby provides an exact way you should follow to collect and handle data.
Page Rendering	Next JS framework is known for using the traditional SSR approach for rendering pages. When you request a page, the server renders the requested pages and delivers the HTML response to the browser.	Gatsby framework utilizes the SSG approach for pre-rendering pages during the build time. So, when you request a page, you will get the pre-rendered HTML file directly from the server.
Extensibility	Next JS comes with a decent amount of libraries, tools, and add-ons.	Gatsby comes with its own ecosystem and there are thousands of pre-configured plugins.
Scalability	Next JS framework is the most ideal choice for creating enterprise-grade applications with high stability.	Gatsby does not have the capacity for large-scale apps, but it is a great choice for building personal blogs and small static sites.
Data Security	Even though it has CMS tools and private APIs, the data is available on the server, which means there are high chances for cyber attacks.	With Gatsby, rather than creating real-time files on a server, this framework will pre-render all your files. You can collect only the necessary data from the source, making it relatively safe.
Server Use	As for the Next JS framework, it comes with a default server, which is required when utilizing the “next start.”	Even if the server is not present, you can run Gatsby.

Next JS vs Gatsby: Which One To Choose

Both Gatsby vs Next JS are widely used for building web apps, so choosing between these two frameworks depends on the requirements of your web app project. In order to select the best React framework between Next JS and Gatsby, you also need to consider a few factors like performance, scalability, availability of plugins and features, etc.

When Next JS is the best:

• If you want to build hybrid web applications and handle huge amounts of data
• If you want to develop enterprise-grade websites and scale it in the future as well

When Gatsby is the best:

• If you want to build personal web apps or small-scale websites and applications
• If you want a huge collection of plugins and other tools for enhanced site functionality

FAQs – Next.js vs Gatsby

1. Should I learn Gatsby or Next JS?

Many developers want to learn Gatsby over Next JS as Gatsby offers a broad variety of plugins, themes, templates, etc., which can be used to create a functional website or app swiftly. However, if you want to develop hybrid web apps that require CSR and SSR, it is best to learn Next JS.

2. What are the advantages of Next JS?

The advantages of Next JS are built-in CSS support, good support for server-side rendering, highly scalable, better flexibility, faster time to market, and many more.

3. What are the advantages of Gatsby?

The primary advantages of Gatsby include availability of a wide range of plugins, large and active community, good GraphQL integration, SEO friendly, less maintenance, and many more.