🚀 Why I Chose Next.js for My Portfolio (And Why You Might, Too)
Discover the benefits of using Next.js for building modern, performant web applications and why it was the perfect choice for my portfolio.
In the ever-growing landscape of JavaScript frameworks, Next.js stands out for frontend developers who want both performance and productivity. When I rebuilt my portfolio, I made the conscious switch from plain React to Next.js—and here's why that decision paid off.
🔥 1. Blazing Fast Performance Next.js comes with server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG) out of the box. My portfolio loads in milliseconds because the pages are pre-rendered and optimized automatically.
📦 2. File-Based Routing Is a Time-Saver No more setting up react-router-dom manually. In Next.js, every file in the pages/ directory becomes a route. It saves setup time and keeps routing intuitive.
🧠 3. SEO Without Hacks Since pages are rendered on the server, search engines can easily index my content. This is crucial for developers looking to be discovered by recruiters or clients via Google.
🎨 4. Built-in Image Optimization Next.js has its own <Image /> component that automatically optimizes and lazy-loads images. Perfect for a visually rich portfolio like mine.
🧰 5. API Routes for Fullstack Capabilities You don't need a separate backend to handle contact forms or newsletter subscriptions. I've added custom API endpoints directly inside my Next.js app using /pages/api.
🏁 Final Thoughts If you're a frontend developer aiming to build a fast, SEO-friendly, and scalable portfolio, I highly recommend trying out Next.js. It's developer-friendly and gives you all the production-level perks out of the box.