Hire Next.js Developers

App Router is the future, but understanding both is important.

App Router (Recommended for New Projects):

• Server Components by default (better performance)
• Streaming SSR with Suspense
• Server Actions for mutations
• Better caching and data fetching
• Layouts and nested routing
• Future of Next.js development

Pages Router (Legacy but Stable):

• More documentation and examples currently
• Easier mental model for some teams
• Established patterns and libraries
• Still fully supported by Vercel

Our developers’ approach:

• New projects: App Router (Next.js 13+)
• Existing projects: Maintain Pages Router or migrate incrementally
• Hybrid: Can use both routers simultaneously during migration

Next.js 14+ heavily favors App Router. Our developers are proficient in both but emphasize modern App Router patterns.

Modern Next.js development starts with Server Components and only uses Client Components when needed.

Use Server Components (default) for:

• Data fetching from databases or APIs
• Accessing backend resources directly
• Keeping sensitive information secure (API keys, tokens)
• Reducing JavaScript bundle size
• Improving Core Web Vitals

Use Client Components (“use client”) for:

• Interactivity (onClick, onChange, useState)
• Browser-only APIs (localStorage, window)
• React hooks (useState, useEffect, useContext)
• Event listeners
• Third-party libraries requiring client-side JavaScript

Best Practice:

• Start with Server Components
• Push “use client” boundary as deep as possible
• Compose Server and Client Components strategically

Example:

// Server Component (default)
async function ProductPage() {
  const product = await fetchProduct() // Direct DB access
  return <ProductDisplay product={product} />
}

// Client Component (interactive button)
'use client'
function AddToCart({ productId }) {
  const [adding, setAdding] = useState(false)
  // ... client-side logic
}

Our developers architect applications to maximize Server Components for performance while strategically using Client Components only where interactivity is needed.

Next.js is the clear winner for most applications in 2025. Create React App is no longer actively maintained.

Choose Next.js for:

• SEO requirements (server-side rendering)
• Performance optimization (image optimization, code splitting)
• Full-stack applications (API routes, Server Actions)
• Production-ready features out of the box
• Vercel’s first-class support and ecosystem
• Modern React patterns (Server Components)

CRA is only appropriate for:

• Internal tools with zero SEO needs
• Prototypes that will never go to production
• Learning React basics (educational purposes)

The Reality:

• Next.js is React’s recommended framework
• Create React App repository is archived
• Major companies have migrated CRA → Next.js
• Next.js handles everything CRA does, plus SSR, SSG, API routes, optimization

Migration Path: If you have a CRA app, Next.js provides migration guides. Our developers can migrate CRA applications to Next.js, typically in 2-6 weeks depending on size.

Our recommendation: Always choose Next.js over Create React App. Even for simple SPAs, Next.js provides better developer experience and leaves room for growth.

Both are excellent full-stack React frameworks. The choice depends on priorities.

Choose Next.js when you need:

• Larger Ecosystem: More third-party integrations, plugins, examples
• Vercel Integration: First-class deployment on Vercel with zero config
• Static Generation: Strong SSG and ISR capabilities for content-heavy sites
• Corporate Backing: Vercel’s full-time team building Next.js
• Hiring Advantage: 10x more Next.js developers than Remix

Choose Remix when you need:

• Web Standards Focus: Emphasis on progressive enhancement and web platform APIs
• Nested Routing: More elegant nested route handling
• Streaming First: Built-in focus on streaming responses
• Indie Team: Prefer smaller, focused team (now owned by Shopify)

Real-World Usage:

• Next.js: Twitch, TikTok, Hulu, Nike, OpenAI, Auth0, thousands of startups
• Remix: Shopify (owner), some agencies, smaller adoption

Performance: Both frameworks deliver excellent performance when optimized properly.

Learning Curve: Next.js has more documentation and examples; Remix has cleaner conceptual model.

Job Market: Next.js dominates (10:1 ratio in job postings).

Our Recommendation for US Startups: Choose Next.js for ecosystem maturity, hiring ease, and Vercel’s powerful deployment platform. Remix is excellent but has smaller community and hiring pool.

Need help deciding? We can discuss your specific use case.

Next.js has won this battle. Gatsby’s usage has declined significantly.

Next.js advantages:

• Hybrid Rendering: SSR + SSG + ISR in one framework
• Performance: Faster builds, better Core Web Vitals
• DX: Better developer experience with Fast Refresh and Turbopack
• Full-Stack: API routes and Server Actions
• Ecosystem: Larger community and more integrations
• Support: Active development by Vercel

Gatsby is only appropriate for:

• Existing Gatsby sites (migration may not be worth it)
• GraphQL-first teams who love Gatsby’s data layer

The Reality:

• Next.js can do everything Gatsby does, plus more
• Gatsby’s market share has decreased significantly
• Major sites have migrated Gatsby → Next.js
• Next.js SSG is simpler than Gatsby’s complex GraphQL layer

If you have a Gatsby site: Our developers can migrate it to Next.js, typically improving performance and simplifying architecture.

Our recommendation: Choose Next.js. Gatsby’s SSG-only approach is limiting, while Next.js gives you flexibility for SSG, SSR, ISR, and dynamic rendering in one framework.

Absolutely. Next.js is the best React framework for SEO, and our developers are experts.

Next.js SEO advantages:

• Server-side rendering (search engines see full HTML)
• Metadata API for titles, descriptions, Open Graph
• Automatic sitemap generation
• Image optimization (Core Web Vitals)
• Font optimization
• Structured data (JSON-LD)

What our developers implement:

• Dynamic metadata per page
• Open Graph and Twitter Card tags
• Schema.org structured data
• XML sitemaps (static and dynamic)
• robots.txt configuration
• Canonical URLs
• Breadcrumb navigation
• Core Web Vitals optimization

SEO-specific features:

• generateMetadata() for dynamic SEO tags
• generateStaticParams() for pre-rendering
• Image optimization with next/image
• Font optimization with next/font
• Analytics integration (Google Analytics, Plausible)

Results:

• Perfect Lighthouse SEO scores
• Fast page load times (< 2s)
• Excellent Core Web Vitals
• Full discoverability by search engines

Next.js + proper SEO implementation gives you the best of both worlds: React’s developer experience and excellent search engine visibility.

Vercel is the easiest and most optimized, but self-hosting is possible.

Deploy on Vercel when:

• You want zero-config deployment
• You need preview deployments for every PR
• You want automatic optimization (image, font)
• You’re okay with Vercel’s pricing ($20/seat/month for team)
• You value simplicity over infrastructure control

Self-host (AWS, Docker, etc) when:

• You need full infrastructure control
• You have strict compliance requirements
• You want to minimize vendor lock-in
• You have DevOps expertise in-house
• You need custom server configurations

Vercel advantages:

• Zero configuration needed
• Automatic HTTPS and SSL
• Global CDN out of the box
• Preview deployments
• Analytics included
• Edge Functions support
• Optimized specifically for Next.js

Self-hosting challenges:

• Manual configuration required
• Need to handle image optimization
• CDN setup required for performance
• More complex CI/CD setup
• Server maintenance overhead

Popular self-hosting options:

• AWS (Amplify, ECS, EC2 + CloudFront)
• Docker containers (any provider)
• Railway, Render (simpler alternatives)
• Kubernetes (enterprise scale)

Our developers can deploy to both Vercel and self-hosted environments. For most startups, Vercel is the fastest path to production. For enterprises with existing AWS infrastructure, self-hosting makes sense.

Next.js provides best-in-class image optimization through the next/image component.

What next/image provides:

• Automatic image optimization and format conversion (WebP, AVIF)
• Responsive images with srcset
• Lazy loading by default
• Blur placeholder while loading
• Prevents Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
• On-demand optimization (images optimized on request)

Our developers implement:

import Image from 'next/image'

<Image
  src="/product.webp"
  alt="Product"
  width={800}
  height={600}
  priority={false} // Lazy load by default
  placeholder="blur" // Blur placeholder
  blurDataURL="..." // Low quality placeholder
/>

Advanced optimizations:

• Remote image optimization (CDN images)
• Custom image loaders (Cloudinary, Imgix)
• Sharp vs Squoosh image processors
• Priority loading for above-the-fold images
• Art direction with fill layout

Performance impact:

• 40-60% smaller image sizes
• Faster page loads
• Better Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS)
• Automatic modern format serving

Result: Next.js image optimization is one of the framework’s best features. Our developers leverage it fully to achieve perfect Lighthouse scores.

Modern Next.js 14+ favors Server Actions for mutations and Route Handlers for RESTful APIs.

Use Server Actions for:

• Form submissions
• Database mutations (create, update, delete)
• Calling third-party APIs from server
• Progressive enhancement (works without JavaScript)
• Co-located with UI components

Use Route Handlers (App Router APIs) for:

• RESTful API endpoints
• Webhooks from external services
• Mobile app backends
• Third-party integrations
• Public APIs that need versioning

Use API Routes (Pages Router - legacy) for:

• Maintaining existing Pages Router applications
• Same use cases as Route Handlers

Server Actions example:

// app/actions.js
'use server'
export async function createPost(formData) {
  await db.posts.create({ title: formData.get('title') })
  revalidatePath('/posts')
}

// Component
<form action={createPost}>
  <input name="title" />
  <button>Submit</button>
</form>

Route Handler example:

// app/api/posts/route.js
export async function GET() {
  const posts = await db.posts.findMany()
  return Response.json({ posts })
}

Our developers’ approach:

• Server Actions: For UI-driven mutations (forms, buttons)
• Route Handlers: For RESTful APIs consumed by mobile or external clients
• Both: Often used together in the same application

The trend is toward Server Actions for better integration with React Server Components and progressive enhancement.

Yes. Migrating CRA, Vite, or other React apps to Next.js is a common task.

Migration scenarios:

1. Create React App → Next.js:

• Timeline: 2-6 weeks (depending on app size)
• Strategy: Incremental page-by-page migration
• Benefits: Add SSR, improve performance, add API routes

2. Vite/React → Next.js:

• Timeline: 2-4 weeks
• Similar strategy to CRA migration
• Maintain Vite for parts that don’t need SSR

3. Pages Router → App Router:

• Timeline: 4-12 weeks (for large apps)
• Strategy: Incremental adoption (both routers work simultaneously)
• Benefits: Server Components, better performance

Migration process:

1. Assessment: Analyze current architecture, dependencies, routing
2. Setup: Create Next.js project with minimal config
3. Incremental Migration: Move pages/components one at a time
4. Testing: Comprehensive testing at each step
5. Optimization: Leverage Next.js-specific optimizations
6. Deployment: Staged rollout with monitoring

Common challenges:

• Routing differences
• Client-side-only libraries needing dynamic imports
• Environment variable changes
• Build configuration adjustments

Our developers handle:

• Complete migration planning
• Incremental execution with zero downtime
• Testing and QA throughout
• Performance optimization post-migration
• Team training on Next.js patterns

Most teams see 30-50% performance improvements after migrating to Next.js due to SSR, image optimization, and code splitting.

Yes. Solo developers, pairs, or full cross-functional teams.

Option 1: Solo Next.js Developer

• Perfect for adding full-stack capacity
• Integrates with existing React team

Option 2: Next.js + Backend Pair

• 1-2 Next.js Developers
• 1 Backend Engineer (if separate API needed)

Option 3: Full Product Team

• 2-3 Next.js Developers
• 1 UI/UX Designer
• 1 QA Engineer
• 1 Product Manager (optional)

All managed by Ideaware for HR, payroll, and retention.