Build websites with React

Creating websites with React enables modular, component-based architectures in which the user interface and status remain predictable and reusable. For example, a navbar component is created and imported into the website layout. This means that the navbar code does not have to be copied repeatedly on every page. This makes the code easier to maintain.

Why Next.js

Next.js extends React with server-side rendering. This means that the server pre-renders the website and then sends it to the client. The client then does not have to wait for the website to load, nor does it have to provide the resources for it itself.

Key technical benefits:

Pre-rendering for SEO and initial loading performance.
Incremental static regeneration (ISR) for delivering cached, updatable pages without reloading.
File-based routing eliminates the need for manual route configuration.
Server components enable selective server-side execution, reducing the size of the client bundle.
Middleware support enables, for example, the configuration of subpage accessibility via subdomains.
Built-in API integration of data processing, backend, and webhook functions without an external server.
SEO optimization easy-to-use metadata and opengraph tags.

Requirements

Node.js version 18.18 or higher

Check your version: open your command line and type

Terminal


node -v

If your output looks similar to this, your good to go:

C:\Users> node -v
v22.12.0

Create your project

I recommend using a project with preconfigured Tailwind CSS . Tailwind offers class-based CSS design, which makes the entire design clearer and simpler.

If you already have a project and want to use Tailwind, follow the instructions from the Tailwind Installation

If you want to start right from the beginning with Next.js and Tailwind CSS enter this in your terminal and follow the instructions:

Note

Here is an overview of the options to choose when creating your new project Setup options for create‑next‑app I recommend using the default options, except for the TypeScript option, select this as desired

Terminal


npx create-next-app@latest

Once the creation process is complete, you can start building your website right away. To do so, open your project folder in the IDE of your choice. To launch the project and view your progress in the browser, navigate to your project folder and enter the following in the terminal:

Terminal


npm run dev

By default, your website appears at http://localhost:3000.
You can now access it in your browser.