Server-First, and Why It Matters Here · Next.js

Ch 1 · What Next.js Adds — card 2 of 4.

In a plain React app the browser downloads a mostly-empty page, then JavaScript runs, then it asks a server for data, then finally something appears. On a fast laptop that is invisible. On a shared Android phone over patchy mobile data — which is what a good portion of your users will have — it is several seconds of blank screen.

Next.js runs your components on the server by default, fetches the data there, and sends finished HTML. The phone receives something readable immediately.

This is not a detail for later. It is the single biggest reason to choose this framework for the market you are building for.