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Next.js VS Bootstrap

Compare Next.js VS Bootstrap and see what are their differences

Next.js logo Next.js

A small framework for server-rendered universal JavaScript apps

Bootstrap logo Bootstrap

Simple and flexible HTML, CSS, and JS for popular UI components and interactions
  • Next.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19
  • Bootstrap Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-22

Next.js features and specs

  • Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
    Next.js supports SSR, allowing pages to be rendered on the server-side before being sent to the client. This results in improved SEO and faster initial page loads.
  • Static Site Generation (SSG)
    Enables pre-rendering pages at build time, which can further improve performance and scalability while allowing for dynamic generation when needed.
  • API Routes
    Next.js allows you to build API endpoints directly in the application, simplifying the process of creating back-end services and endpoints.
  • File-Based Routing
    Offers a simple file-based routing mechanism where the file structure maps directly to the appโ€™s routes, making it easier to manage and understand.
  • Automatic Code Splitting
    Automatically splits code at the page level, reducing the initial load time and improving performance by only loading necessary JavaScript.
  • TypeScript Support
    Built-in support for TypeScript, allowing developers to use static type checking and other TypeScript features easily.
  • Developer Experience
    Provides a great developer experience with features like fast refresh, hot reloading, and detailed error reporting.
  • Rich Ecosystem
    Benefiting from the rich ecosystem of the React community and integrating well with other libraries and tools.
  • Internationalization
    Built-in support for internationalization helps developers build multilingual applications with ease.
  • Community and Support
    Strong community and extensive documentation provide ample support and resources for new and experienced developers alike.

Possible disadvantages of Next.js

  • Learning Curve
    The robust feature set of Next.js can present a steep learning curve for developers who are new to React or server-side rendering concepts.
  • Configuration Overhead
    Although Next.js aims for simplicity, complex projects may still require significant configuration and customization.
  • Performance Overhead
    SSR can introduce additional server load and latency compared to static site generators, especially under high traffic conditions.
  • Deployment Complexity
    Deploying Next.js applications that leverage SSR or API routes may be more complex and could require more sophisticated server infrastructure.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    If heavily relying on Next.js-specific features, moving away from the framework to another solution could require significant refactoring.
  • Bundle Size
    Without careful optimization, client-side bundle sizes can become large, negatively affecting the applicationโ€™s performance.
  • Build Times
    For large applications, build times can be significant, impacting the development cycle and deployment times.
  • Dependencies
    Next.js introduces its own set of dependencies and tooling, which might complicate version management and compatibility with other tools.

Bootstrap features and specs

  • Responsive Design
    Bootstrap's grid system ensures that webpages are responsive and adapt to different screen sizes seamlessly.
  • Pre-designed Components
    Bootstrap comes with a variety of pre-designed components like buttons, forms, modals, and navigation bars that streamline the development process.
  • Cross-browser Compatibility
    Bootstrap ensures that your website will function correctly across different browsers, reducing the time spent on debugging issues related to browser inconsistencies.
  • Extensive Documentation
    The documentation is comprehensive and well-organized, making it easier for developers to understand and implement Bootstrap features quickly.
  • Community Support
    With a large and active community, finding help and resources related to Bootstrap development is relatively easy.
  • Customizable
    Bootstrap allows you to customize the default styles and components using Sass variables, making it adaptable to any project needs.
  • CDN Support
    Bootstrap can be included via Content Delivery Networks (CDN), which can help to speed up the initial load time of your web pages.

Possible disadvantages of Bootstrap

  • Uniform Look
    Websites built with Bootstrap often look similar because many developers use the default styles and components without customization.
  • Overhead
    Including the entire Bootstrap library can add unnecessary weight to your project if you only use a small fraction of its features.
  • Learning Curve
    For beginners, the extensive set of features and classes can be overwhelming and take some time to learn.
  • Dependency on jQuery
    Older versions of Bootstrap heavily rely on jQuery, which can be a disadvantage for projects that aim to minimize dependencies.
  • Specific Structure
    Bootstrap works best when you adhere to its predefined structure and classes, which can limit flexibility for more complex or unique designs.
  • Customization Challenges
    Deep customization can be difficult and time-consuming, especially if you need to override many default styles and behaviors.
  • Performance Issues
    Using a large number of Bootstrap components can lead to performance issues, particularly on lower-end devices.

Analysis of Next.js

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Next.js is considered a good framework. It is admired for its flexibility, developer experience, and ability to deliver high-performance applications. Its continuous updates and community support further enhance its standing as a reliable choice for building web applications.

Why this product is good

  • Next.js is a popular React framework known for its server-side rendering, static site generation, and API route features. It is built by Vercel and provides an optimized development experience with a focus on performance and SEO advantages. Its easy integration with various backends, built-in support for TypeScript, and capability to handle dynamic and static content efficiently make it a strong choice for modern web development.

Recommended for

  • Developers building SEO-friendly web applications
  • Teams focusing on performance optimization
  • Projects requiring server-side rendering or static site generation
  • Applications needing routing and API integration out of the box
  • Developers looking for a robust framework with TypeScript support

Next.js videos

Next.js: The React Framework - JS Monthly - July 2019

More videos:

  • Review - Gatsby vs Next.js: Which does SSG Better?

Bootstrap videos

Is Bootstrap Still Worth It? -- 1 Design, 2 Code Bases.

More videos:

  • Review - BOOTSTRAP Review | Best CSS Library ?
  • Review - Should you use Bootstrap?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Next.js and Bootstrap)
Developer Tools
71 71%
29% 29
Web Frameworks
100 100%
0% 0
Design Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Javascript UI Libraries
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Next.js and Bootstrap

Next.js Reviews

Top 10 Next.js Alternatives You Can Try
Next.js is a well-known platform most of you utilize to build a responsive website. However, if you are annoyed by its limited features, consider Next.js alternatives because flexibility and faster loading speed are always the top concerns of every developer. For this reason, you might need to read this article to explore the top 10 Nextjs Alternatives for the exciting world...
20 Next.js Alternatives Worth Considering
When it comes to building modern web applications, finding the right framework can be a game-changer. Next.js is often a top choice, but there are several Next.js alternatives worth considering.
10 Best Next.js Alternatives to Consider Today
For those who have been accustomed to the benefits of React Next.js, keeping an eye on the latest version is crucial. Next.js's continuous improvement and updates in Next.js enhance its capabilities, ensuring developers can access cutting-edge features and optimizations. Whether starting a new project or maintaining an existing Next.js website, staying informed about the...
9 Best JavaScript Frameworks to Use in 2023
Next.js uses JavaScript and React components to create the UI. Next.js is influenced by React Router, Webpack, Node ecosystem, and community libraries. The feature that sets Next.js apart from other frameworks is its ability to automatically generate pages based on the file system structure of the project. For example, if there is a _posts folder in the root directory,...
Source: ninetailed.io
JavaScript: What Are The Most Used Frameworks For This Language?
Some of its top features include server-side rendering, automatic code splitting, client-side routing, built-in CSS support, static site generation and API routes. Overall, Next.JS is a powerful and flexible framework that provides developers with a simple and intuitive way to build complex React applications with ease. It is widely used in the React community and has a...
Source: www.bocasay.com

Bootstrap Reviews

22 Best Bootstrap Alternatives & What Each Is Best For
Bootstrap alternatives are a suite of different tools and frameworks that web developers and designers employ for creating dynamic, responsive websites and applications. These tools, like Bootstrap itself, offer pre-written code for different elements of a website - from typography and buttons to navigation bars and image carousels - but each has its unique features and...
Source: thectoclub.com
15 Top Bootstrap Alternatives For Frontend Developers in 2024
UIKit is a modular front-end framework like Bootstrap and a Bootstrap competitor designed to develop fast and powerful web interfaces. You can utilize it with HTML or JavaScript based on your preference. It offers built-in support for right-to-left languages and includes an extensive library of components. This framework like Bootstrap provides a convenient solution for...
Source: coursesity.com
9 Best Bootstrap Alternatives | Best Frontend Frameworks [2024]
The only downside it has as compared to Bootstrap and Foundation is it is only a CSS framework, which means no JavaScript. So you will have to write your own JavaScript or Jquery to toggle your dropdowns or perform other basic interactionhttps://bulma.io/s of the sort. Overall it is a great alternative to Bootstrap, which is also being updated very frequently.
Source: hackr.io
Top 10 Best CSS Frameworks for Front-End Developers in 2022
Bootstrap is one of the most popular CSS frameworks globally and received instant popularity because of its responsive design. It was also the first framework that gave priority to mobile devices. With Bootstrap, there is no need for a separate design for mobile viewing. You just need to add the necessary classes, and the website will adapt to the screen size based on the...
Source: hackr.io
15 Best CSS Frameworks: Professional Bootstrap and Foundation Alternatives
This is why Bootstrap is by far the most popular framework on the market. All developers have heard of Bootstrap, and more than 80% of them say they are happy using it.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Next.js should be more popular than Bootstrap. It has been mentiond 1094 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Next.js mentions (1094)

  • SSG, ISR, SSR, CSR: which strategy should I use in my Next.js e-commerce platform?
    In today's evolving web development landscape, selecting the right rendering strategy is vital for creating fast, scalable, and user-friendly applications. Next.js, a leading React framework, offers four powerful major rendering options: Static Site Generation (SSG), Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR), Server-Side Rendering (SSR), and Client-Side Rendering (CSR). Each approach comes with its own set of features... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Breaking Your Own App (on Purpose) with Chaos Proxy
    The app is built with Next.js and uses React Query for data fetching. It has a few API routes to get playlists and songs, and two main pages: one for listing all playlists and another for showing the details of a selected playlist. - Source: dev.to / 13 days ago
  • Itโ€™s Happening! Vercel ๐Ÿค MongoDB
    Basic familiarity with Next.js and React. - Source: dev.to / 29 days ago
  • How to Securely Connect to Medusa.js Production Database on AWS?
    You're minding your own business, managing AWS infrastructure for a client with a pretty standard e-commerce setup: a Medusa.js backend, a Next.js storefront, and most importantly for this story, a PostgreSQL RDS instance safely stashed away in a private subnet where nothing from the outside world can touch it. Exactly how the AWS gods intended. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Next.js 16: The real dirt behind the hype
    Turbopack is now powering vercel.com, nextjs.org, and a growing number of real-world apps. Itโ€™s clearly the future written in Rust, blazing through cold builds, and supposedly replacing Webpack altogether. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
View more

Bootstrap mentions (364)

  • Build a Real-time Chat App with Vue 3, Socket.io and Nodejs
    Next, we will set up the frontend part of our real time chat app using Vue 3 and Bootstrap. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Have I Been Pwned 2.0 is Now Live
    Not in the so distant past, when Bootstrapped themes were becoming the face of the Internet, a new framework came to town โ€” TailwindCSS. The smart thing they did was introduced the framework with a few brilliant template and a lot of styled components. I bought the initial copy and does a lot of people. Those templates, TailwindUI.com (now TailwindCSS.com/plus)[1] became the gradien-y, dark-ish, glow-y design you... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • How to Build a Blog with Laravel (& Send Slack Notifications)
    This will show the posts passed from the controller in a row of cards. Please notice that you are linking to Bootstrapโ€™s CDN for easy styling. If there are no posts, a message on a card saying that there are no posts will be shown. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Overengineered Anchor Links
    Yeah, good point. It's kinda common to have a big footer. Examples: https://getbootstrap.com/, https://stake.us/ (casino) That way on desktop you could get away with a 50vh margin under the content and then another 50vh for the footer. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • The 3 Best Python Frameworks To Build UIs for AI Apps
    FastHTML allows developers to build modern web applications entirely in Python without touching JavaScript or React. As its name implies, it is quicker to begin with FastHTML. However, it does not have pre-built UI components and styling. Getting the best out of this framework requires the knowledge of HTMX and UI styling using CSS libraries like Tailwind and Bootstrap. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Next.js and Bootstrap, you can also consider the following products

Vercel - Vercel is the platform for frontend developers, providing the speed and reliability innovators need to create at the moment of inspiration.

Tailwind CSS - A utility-first CSS framework for rapidly building custom user interfaces.

React - A JavaScript library for building user interfaces

Materialize CSS - A modern responsive front-end framework based on Material Design

Node.js - Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications

Foundation - The most advanced responsive front-end framework in the world