Building Server-side Rendered Applications with Next.js

In today’s digital age, the demand for high-performing and fast web applications is ever-growing. As a result, server-side rendered applications have gained popularity as they offer better performance and improved SEO compared to traditional client-side rendering. Next.js, a popular React framework, is a powerful tool for building server-side rendered applications. In this article, we will explore how to build server-side rendered applications with Next.js, understanding the benefits, and the HTML tags to use.

What is Next.js?

Next.js is a React framework that offers support for server-side and client-side rendering, as well as static site generation. It comes with built-in features such as code splitting, hot module replacement, and dynamic routing, making it a powerful tool for building modern web applications. Being a framework based on React, it allows developers to use familiar tools and libraries, while also providing additional benefits for server-side rendering.

The Benefits of Server-Side Rendering with Next.js

Server-side rendering offers several benefits over client-side rendering, especially when it comes to performance and SEO. Some of the key benefits of using server-side rendering with Next.js include:

Improved Performance: Server-side rendering allows the server to pre-render the HTML content before sending it to the client, resulting in faster initial page loads and improved performance.

SEO Optimization: Search engines can easily index server-side rendered content, leading to better search engine rankings and improved discoverability.

Enhanced User Experience: Server-side rendering enables quick content delivery, resulting in a smoother and more engaging user experience.

Reduced Time to Interactivity: Pre-rendering content on the server reduces the time it takes for a page to become interactive, leading to better overall user experience.

Building Server-Side Rendered Applications with Next.js

To build server-side rendered applications with Next.js, you need to understand how to structure your application, manage data fetching, and use HTML tags effectively. Let’s dive into the process of building a server-side rendered application using Next.js.

Setting up a Next.js Project

Before you can start building a server-side rendered application with Next.js, you need to set up a new project. You can do this by using the npx create-next-app command, which will create a new Next.js project with the default configuration.

“`html
npx create-next-app my-next-app
cd my-next-app
“`

Once the project is set up, you can start building your server-side rendered application by defining the pages, components, and routes.

Defining Pages and Routes

Next.js uses a file-based routing system, where each page is represented by a file within the pages directory. For example, if you want to create a new page for the about section of your application, you can create a new file called about.js within the pages directory.

“`html
// pages/about.js

import React from ‘react’;

const About = () => {
return (

);
};

export default About;
“`

Next.js also supports dynamic routing, allowing you to create dynamic routes based on parameters. For example, if you want to create a dynamic route for displaying blog posts, you can create a file called [slug].js within the pages directory.

“`html
// pages/[slug].js

import React from ‘react’;
import { useRouter } from ‘next/router’;

const Post = () => {
const router = useRouter();
const { slug } = router.query;

return (

);
};

export default Post;
“`

Managing Data Fetching

Next.js provides several methods for managing data fetching in server-side rendered applications. You can use getStaticProps to fetch data at build time, getServerSideProps to fetch data at request time, or use SWR for client-side data fetching.

“`html
// pages/index.js

import React from ‘react’;

const Home = ({ data }) => {
return (

);
};

export async function getServerSideProps() {
const res = await fetch(‘https://api.example.com/data’);
const data = await res.json();

return {
props: { data },
};
}

export default Home;
“`

In this example, we use getServerSideProps to fetch data at request time and pass it as props to the Home component.

Using HTML Tags Effectively

When building server-side rendered applications with Next.js, it’s important to use HTML tags effectively to optimize the rendering process and improve performance. Here are some HTML tags and techniques you can use to enhance your server-side rendered applications with Next.js:

1. tag: Next.js provides a Link component for client-side navigation. It pre-fetches the linked page and updates the URL without a full page refresh, resulting in a smoother user experience.

“`html
import Link from ‘next/link’;

About

“`

2. tag: Next.js allows you to customize the tag of your pages by using the next/head component. This is useful for setting metadata, such as page titles, descriptions, and stylesheets.

“`html
import Head from ‘next/head’;

“`

3. tag: Next.js provides an Image component for lazy-loading and optimizing images. It automatically optimizes images using the next/image component, resulting in faster page loads and improved performance.

“`html
import Image from ‘next/image’;

src=”/image.jpg”
alt=”A beautiful image”
width={500}
height={300}
/>
“`

4. tag: You can create a reusable layout component to wrap your pages and provide a consistent design and structure across the application.

“`html
import React from ‘react’;
import Header from ‘./Header’;
import Footer from ‘./Footer’;

const Layout = ({ children }) => {
return (

);
};

export default Layout;
“`

“`html
// pages/index.js

import React from ‘react’;
import Layout from ‘../components/Layout’;

const Home = ({ data }) => {
return (

);
};
“`

Conclusion

Server-side rendered applications offer improved performance, better SEO, and enhanced user experience compared to traditional client-side rendering. Next.js provides a powerful framework for building server-side rendered applications, offering support for data fetching, dynamic routing, and HTML tags for optimizing the rendering process.

In this article, we explored how to build server-side rendered applications with Next.js, understanding the benefits, and the HTML tags used. By leveraging the features of Next.js and using HTML tags effectively, you can create high-performing and fast server-side rendered applications that provide a smooth and engaging user experience. Whether you’re building a simple blog or a complex web application, Next.js has the tools and capabilities to meet your server-side rendering needs.