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ExpressJS vs Next.js: What are the differences?
ExpressJS: Sinatra inspired web development framework for node.js -- insanely fast, flexible, and simple. Express is a minimal and flexible node.js web application framework, providing a robust set of features for building single and multi-page, and hybrid web applications; Next.js: *A small framework for server-rendered universal JavaScript apps *. Next.js is a minimalistic framework for server-rendered React applications.
ExpressJS and Next.js are primarily classified as "Microframeworks (Backend)" and "Frameworks (Full Stack)" tools respectively.
Some of the features offered by ExpressJS are:
- Robust routing
- HTTP helpers (redirection, caching, etc)
- View system supporting 14+ template engines
On the other hand, Next.js provides the following key features:
- Zero setup. Use the filesystem as an API
- Only JavaScript. Everything is a function
- Automatic server rendering and code splitting
"Simple" is the primary reason why developers consider ExpressJS over the competitors, whereas "Automatic server rendering and code splitting" was stated as the key factor in picking Next.js.
ExpressJS and Next.js are both open source tools. ExpressJS with 44.3K GitHub stars and 7.45K forks on GitHub appears to be more popular than Next.js with 38.2K GitHub stars and 4.6K GitHub forks.
According to the StackShare community, ExpressJS has a broader approval, being mentioned in 843 company stacks & 759 developers stacks; compared to Next.js, which is listed in 79 company stacks and 66 developer stacks.
Next.js is probably the most enjoyable React framework our team could have picked. The development is an extremely smooth process, the file structure is beautiful and organized, and the speed is no joke. Our work with Next.js comes out much faster than if it was built on pure React or frameworks alike. We were previously developing all of our projects in Meteor before making the switch. We left Meteor due to the slow compiler and website speed. We deploy all of our Next.js projects on Vercel.
Hey guys,
My backend set up is Prisma / GraphQL-Yoga at the moment, and I love it. It's so intuitive to learn and is really neat on the frontend too, however, there were a few gotchas when I was learning! Especially around understanding how it all pieces together (the stack). There isn't a great deal of information out there on exactly how to put into production my set up, which is a backend set up on a Digital Ocean droplet with Prisma/GraphQL Yoga in a Docker Container using Next & Apollo Client on the frontend somewhere else. It's such a niche subject, so I bet only a few hundred people have got a website with this stack in production. Anyway, I wrote a blog post to help those who might need help understanding it. Here it is, hope it helps!
Pros of ExpressJS
- Simple364
- Node.js319
- Javascript235
- High performance184
- Robust routing148
- Middlewares66
- Open source66
- Great community53
- Hybrid web applications33
- Well documented9
- Sinatra inspired8
- Rapid development4
- Isomorphic js.. superfast and easy4
- Npm2
- Event loop2
- Socket connection2
- Light weight2
- Resource available for learning2
- Data stream1
- Callbacks1
- Xxx1
Pros of Next.js
- Automatic server rendering and code splitting30
- Built with React25
- Easy setup23
- Universal JavaScript19
- Zero setup18
- TypeScript14
- Static site generator11
- Just JavaScript9
- Simple deployment8
- Incremental static regeneration8
- Frictionless development8
- Testing7
- Filesystem as an API7
- Isomorphic React applications7
- Everything is a function6
- Well Documented5
- Has many examples and integrations4
- Not nuxt2
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Cons of ExpressJS
- Not python22
- Overrated15
- No multithreading14
- Javascript6
- Not fast5
- Easily Insecure for Novices2
- Not a lion1
Cons of Next.js
- Structure is weak compared to Angular(2+)5
- Not Vue4
- Is no Angular2
- Not flutter2
- Shitty1
- Not Angular 21