What is Next.js?

Next.js is an open-source, React-based framework for building server-side rendered (SSR) and statically generated (SSG) applications in JavaScript. It was developed and is maintained by Vercel, and has grown in popularity for its ease of use, flexibility, and performance.

The core benefit of Next.js is its hybrid approach to rendering. It allows you to choose on a per-page basis between static generation (SSG), server-side rendering (SSR), incremental static regeneration (ISR), and client-side rendering (CSR), depending on your needs. This makes Next.js a versatile solution that can cater to various application requirements.

Next.js comes with several features out of the box that make application development more straightforward:

• Zero Configuration: Next.js works right out of the box, making setup easy.
• File-based Routing: Every file inside the 'pages' directory becomes a route automatically.
• Automatic Code Splitting: This helps to improve performance by only loading the code needed for the specific page.
• Hot Module Replacement: Allows for quick updates during development without needing a full page refresh.
• API Routes: With 'api' routes, developers can build their API directly into their Next.js application.

Next.js also supports TypeScript, and it's highly optimized for smaller bundle sizes, faster dev compilation, and dozens of other improvements. Moreover, it has great support for pre-rendering, prefetching, and data fetching, making it a powerful tool for creating high-performance applications.