Next.js vs Yew Framework: What are the differences?

Introduction

Next.js and Yew Framework are both web development tools that offer different sets of features and functionality. Understanding their key differences is important for developers to choose the right tool for their projects.

1. Server-side Rendering (SSR) Support: Next.js is a framework built on top of React that provides built-in server-side rendering support. This means that Next.js can render web pages on the server and send them as fully-rendered HTML to the client, resulting in faster page loads and better SEO. Yew Framework, on the other hand, is a modern Rust framework for creating web applications, but it does not have built-in server-side rendering support.

2. Language: Next.js is written in JavaScript and supports both client-side and server-side JavaScript development. Yew Framework, on the other hand, is written in Rust, a systems programming language known for its speed and memory safety. This difference in programming language can affect developer productivity and the features available in each framework.

3. Build Time Execution: Next.js allows developers to execute code during build time, which means developers can fetch data or perform other operations before deploying the application. This feature can be useful for pre-rendering static pages or optimizing performance. Yew Framework does not have built-in support for executing code during build time, and any server-side operations need to be performed at runtime.

4. Size and Performance: Next.js, being built on top of React, introduces an additional layer of abstraction and dependencies, which can impact the bundle size and performance of the application. Yew Framework, being a Rust-based framework, has a smaller bundle size and can leverage the performance benefits of the Rust language. This can be particularly advantageous for applications that prioritize efficient resource usage and fast response times.

5. Ecosystem and Community: Next.js benefits from the large and active React ecosystem and community. There are numerous resources, libraries, and tools available for developers to leverage when working with Next.js. Yew Framework, being a relatively newer framework, has a smaller ecosystem and community compared to Next.js. This can affect availability of documentation, community support, and third-party libraries for Yew Framework.

6. Development Workflow: Next.js provides a comprehensive development workflow with features like hot module replacement, automatic code splitting, and built-in support for CSS modules. Yew Framework, being built on Rust, brings with it the benefits of the Rust ecosystem, such as strong static typing, efficient memory management, and a powerful package manager (Cargo). This can result in a different development experience and workflow compared to Next.js.

In Summary, Next.js offers built-in server-side rendering support, is written in JavaScript, has build time execution capabilities, and benefits from a larger ecosystem and community. On the other hand, Yew Framework is a Rust-based framework, has a smaller bundle size and better performance, and leverages the benefits of Rust's language features and tooling.