# The Power of Next.js: An Introduction

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Hello again and welcome back to Dom's guide to front-end development! We've already talked about the basics of front-end development and started our journey into React. Now, it's time to dive into the world of Next.js.

### What is Next.js?

Next.js is an open-source JavaScript framework that lets you build server-side rendering and static web applications using React. It's a production-ready framework that allows developers to quickly create static and dynamic JavaScript applications.

### Why Use Next.js?

The advantages of using Next.js are numerous, here are some of the most compelling ones:

* **Ease of Setup**: Next.js offers a best-in-class "Developer Experience" right out of the box, you don't need to do complex configurations to start your project.
    
* **Server-Side Rendering**: Next.js allows for server-side rendering which can lead to better performance and SEO.
    
* **Automatic Code Splitting**: This feature helps to load faster your web pages by splitting your code into various bundles that can be loaded on demand.
    
* **Built-In CSS Support**: Next.js supports universal styles with built-in CSS support, and supports all CSS-in-JS libraries like styled-components or emotion.
    

In the following posts, we'll explore the practical side of working with Next.js including routing, server side rendering, and creating a blog.

Stay tuned, and as always, keep coding!