Next.js
Next.js is a React framework providing server-side rendering, static site generation, API routes, and optimized performance for production-ready web applications.
Overview
Next.js revolutionizes React development by providing production-ready features out of the box including server-side rendering, static generation, API routes, and performance optimizations. The framework combines excellent developer experience with optimal performance, making it ideal for modern web applications from marketing sites to complex web apps. This website (adamblackington.com) is built with Next.js, demonstrating its capabilities for static site generation and performance.
My Next.js Experience
I've built production applications using Next.js including this portfolio website, demonstrating static site generation with dynamic routing, TypeScript integration, Tailwind CSS styling, and deployment to cloud platforms. Next.js enabled rapid development while delivering excellent performance and SEO.
This Portfolio Website
Built adamblackington.com using Next.js 14+ with App Router, static site generation for optimal performance, TypeScript for type safety, Tailwind CSS for styling, responsive design with mobile optimization, and deployment to cloud hosting. The site achieves perfect Lighthouse scores (100/100) through Next.js optimizations including automatic image optimization, code splitting, and static generation.
Full-Stack Applications
Developed Next.js applications with API routes providing backend functionality, server-side rendering for dynamic content, authentication with NextAuth.js, database integration with Prisma ORM, and serverless deployment to Vercel. Next.js's full-stack capabilities enabled building complete applications without separate backend infrastructure.
Performance Optimization
Leveraged Next.js performance features including next/image for automatic image optimization, code splitting for faster page loads, ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) for dynamic content, edge caching for global performance, and Vercel Analytics for performance monitoring. These optimizations delivered sub-second page loads globally.
Rendering Strategies
Next.js supports multiple rendering strategies: Static Site Generation (SSG) pre-rendering at build time for maximum performance, Server-Side Rendering (SSR) for dynamic content requiring fresh data, Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) combining benefits of SSG and SSR, Client-Side Rendering (CSR) for interactive components, and Edge Runtime for ultra-low-latency responses. Choose strategy per-page based on requirements, optimizing performance and user experience.
Ideal Use Cases
Next.js excels for marketing and landing pages with SSG, e-commerce sites requiring SEO and performance, SaaS applications with authentication, blogs and content sites with dynamic routing, dashboards and admin panels, portfolios and company websites, and progressive web apps (PWAs). Any web application benefiting from React, SEO, and performance optimizations is ideal for Next.js.