alt Hacker NewsI wonder why there is a debate Next.js vs. SSR. Nextjs is a hybrid and performs quite well. Contrasting with other SPA frameworks, Nextjs produces prerendered html output for fast first loads, efficient js chunks, config switches to eagerly-load those chunks (ie. when hovering over a link or preloading all n+1 links after page render) and efficient image (pre-)loading depending on breakpoint (usually the achilles heel when comparing to a pure SsR solution).
I would really be interested in real world performance metrics comparing load times etc. on a stock nextjs app using defaults vs. rails and co.
NextJS has a lot of significant drawbacks, that's why there's an ongoing debate (which is healthy):
- Cost
- Complexity
- Learning curve
- Scalability
- Frequent changes
- And surprisingly bad performance compared with the direct competitors
Nowadays, NextJS is rarely the best tool for the job. Next and React are sitting in the "never got fired for buying IBM" spot. It is a well earned position, as both had a huge innovational impact.
Do you need best in class loading and SEO with some interactivity later on? Astro with islands. Vitepress does something similar.
Do you need a scalable, cost efficient and robust stack and have moderate interactivity? Traditional SSR (RoR, Django, .NET MVC, whatever) with maybe some HTMX.
Do you have a highly interactive app? Fast SPA like Svelte, Solid or Vue.