When selecting a framework for your web application, it is critical to consider the developer experience that they provide. Astro, Remix, and Next.js both build on top of React to provide a more streamlined experience. They both have a low learning curve, so if you're already familiar with React, you can quickly pick them up and get started.
We evaluate each to help you decide which framework is appropriate for you, not to determine which is faster or better.
Astro is a modern web framework built on React and a static site builder that requires little or no JavaScript to deliver lightning-fast, high-performance websites with a modern developer experience. It allows you to create websites using UI components from your favorite JavaScript UI frameworks such as React, Svelte, Vue, and others.
Astro websites are entirely static, with no JavaScript code whatsoever. When a component (for example, image carousels, dark and light mode) requires JavaScript code to run, Astro only loads that component and any necessary dependencies. The rest of the site is still static lightweight HTML. Check out Astro's getting started tutorial for an excellent introduction to the game.
Next.js is an open-source React framework for quickly creating server-rendered React applications. It adds structure and features and handles the React tooling and configuration required for your application.
It can be used to solve common application requirements like routing, data retrieval, and integrations. Next.js was created to provide an easy-to-use development framework that would reduce the time and effort required to develop full-fledged, SSR-friendly web applications while improving the end user and developer experience. The documentation is a great place to start if you want to start with this framework.
Remix is an edge native, full-stack JavaScript framework for building modern, fast, and resilient user experiences. It unifies the client and server with web standards so you can think less about code and more about your product. (according to the official website remix.run)
astro add
CLI command (i.e., add Svelte support with astro add svelte
).app/
Directory for File-Based Routing(Beta): Routes can be specified using the structure of your project directory. Simply place an entry point in the pages
directory and create a new route.Hydration is a client-side JavaScript technique for converting a static HTML page into a dynamic page. This provides a pleasant user experience by displaying a rendered component on the page but with attached event handlers. Hydration occurs before user interaction on static pages. The user experience suffers as a result.
Astro handles this through a method known as partial hydration. The method of loading individual components only when needed while leaving the remainder of the page as static HTML is known as partial hydration. Island design is critical to this process because it promotes little bits of involvement.
Next.js does not allow partial hydration either. There is experimental support for non-JavaScript webpages in Next.js but none for hydrating components.
Remix does not support partial hydration. There are assumptions that Remix will function with the new React 18 suspense features, but Remix does not allow partial hydration.
Astro is fast, basically designed for speed. The island architecture strategy aids in SEO because it ranks highly on on-site search engines. It offers a fantastic user experience and has less boilerplate code. It supports most CSS libraries and frameworks and provides a great base for style support.
Remix claims that data retrieval is sped up by loading data in parallel on the server. Remix can prerender pages on the server because it supports server-side rendering. In contrast to Remix, Astro provides a statically-bundled HTML file with minimal to no JavaScript.
Why the Remix rewrite is fast?
Why the Remix port is fast?
Next.js boasts of its server-side rendering and static builds features. Next.Js also includes several pre-built techniques for data retrieval.
Why Next.js is fast?
Server-side rendering (SSR) refers to the process of pre-rendering client-side single-page applications on the server and then sending a fully rendered page on user request. Server-side rendering is essential because server-side rendered applications are SEO-friendly and fast. Apps that support server-side rendering are usually due to their reduced page load time.
Astro, Remix, and Next.js offer server-side rendering (SSR) to generate the markup and content of our pages from the web server before sending it to the client.
Next.js, Astro, and Remix have a short learning curve. Because they are all based on React, you only need a basic understanding of React to set up Next.js, Astro, and Remix. They all feature developer-friendly documentation, making them simple to use and configure.
Next includes the 'create-next-app
' CLI command for quickly launching a Next.js application. For bootstrapping an Astro application, use the 'create astro@latest
' command, whereas Remix uses the 'create-remix@latest
' command for Remix apps.
We looked at Astro, a highly performant library for shipping no JavaScript code, Remix, a framework for handling client-side and server-side code, and Next.js, which includes data fetching methods such as ISR, CSR, SSG, and SSR.
We looked at key features, loading speed, hydration, server-side rendering, and ease of use. This allows you to select the framework to utilize for your projects. It's not about which framework is better but which solves your problem best.
If you would like to start building with these frameworks, check out these resources:
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Technical Writer, Tech Blogger, Developer Advocate Intern, Self-Taught Frontend Developer.