Efficiently Using Next.JS with Headless WordPress

Jamstack is the most popular approach for making websites and web apps especially with the PWA features and benefits offered by the Jamstack architecture. But it can be challenging to use the Jamstack in a highly interactive application wherein you have limited knowledge of technology and frameworks.  

Next.JS  framework is one of many recommended toolchains available when starting a new React website, all of which provide a layer of abstraction to aid in common tasks. Old React websites render all their content within the client-side browser, NextJS WordPress website is used to increase this practicality to incorporate applications rendered on the server-side.  

The Next.JS framework utilizes JAMstack technology, that distinguishes between front-end and back-end and grants for front-end development that's freelance of any back-end based on headless CMS like WordPress and using APIs like GraphQL

What is Next.JS?

Next.JS is one of  React frameworks to try to do all of this easy manner; however, it is not restricted to the present. It's publicized by its creators as a zero-configuration, single-command toolchain for React websites. It provides a standard structure that enables you to simply build a frontend React application, and transparently handles server-side rendering for you.

Next. js is clever enough to load the Javascript and CSS that are required for any given page. This makes quicker page loading times, as a user's browser does not get to transfer Javascript and CSS that it would like for the precise page the user is viewing.

How do I connect headless WordPress with NextJS?

Installing and obtaining a headless WordPress Next is not the scope but to make an understanding of the Next WordPress website development is the main aim. What we're perturbed regarding here is adding some necessary bits and items to a WordPress website to show it into a headless CMS for Next.JS to access.

Headless WordPress is an open-source platform and the most commonly used CMS around the globe for building websites for blogs, businesses, corporates, portfolios, etc. 

Building Jamstack with NextJS

The key features for building a modern Next WordPress website or web application are noted below

Automatic Routing

Any consistent resource locator is mapped to the filesystem, to files place within the pages folder, and you do not would like any configuration.

Single File parts

Using styled-jsx, fully integrated as engineered by the identical team, it's irrelevant to feature designs scoped to the element.

Server Rendering

You can render React parts on the server-side, before causing the hypertext mark-up language (HTML) to the shopper.

Ecosystem Compatibility

Next WordPress plays well with the remainder of the JavaScript, Node, and React systems using headless WordPress for the backend.

Automatic splitting of Code 

Pages are rendered with simply the libraries and JavaScript that they have, no more. rather than generating one single JavaScript file containing all the app code, the app is built by Next.JS in many completely different resources.

• Loading a page solely hundreds the JavaScript necessary for that exact page.
• Next.JS will that by analyzing the resources.

This ensures your initial page load is as quick because it is, and solely future page hundreds will send the JavaScript required to the shopper. There is one notable exception. oft used imports are moved into the most JavaScript bundle if they're employed in a minimum of 1/2 the location pages.

Prefetching

The Link element, accustomed link along completely different pages, supports a prefetch prop that mechanically prefetches page resources (including code missing because of code splitting) within the background.

Dynamic parts

You can import JavaScript modules and React parts dynamically.

Static Exports

Using the succeeding export command, Next.js permits you to export a static website from your app.

TypeScript Support

Next.js is written in the matter and intrinsically comes with superb matter support.

Rendering and data storage 

The Jamstack isn't one technology or set of standards. Instead, it's a trial to administer a reputation to wide used discipline practices for building apps that aim to deliver higher performance, higher security, cheaper scaling, and higher development expertise.

Evaluating the quality of the Jamstack for a project is difficult since there are many alternative ways to make an online app, all involving completely different trade-offs about:

1. Where to implement rendering and logic within the application?
2. Where to store information for the application?

The architectural structure of Next.JS and Headless WordPress

Before diving deeper, it's worth understanding that the choice of wherever to implement rendering associate degreed logic in an application will be seen as a spectrum starting from server rendering to client-side rendering with some approaches middle. The main distinction between the 3 architectural approaches is wherever the rendering logic is enforced and once is content rendered. The Jamstack approach to rendering happens per amendment within the content that causes the build tool to trigger a replacement build.

Monolithic Architecture

The server that renders HTML as per request and queries info renders templates. samples of this approach embrace headless WordPress and NextJs.

The rendering time is request-based having a server rendering logic. 

Jamstack Architecture

Pre-rendered HTML that's served by a CDN to a browser. historically, this HTML was simply manually written in .html files. Nowadays, static website generators are typically wont to generate the HTML. Some static sites enhance the statically generated HTML with JavaScript for a lot of granular interactivity.

The rendering time is based on the change in content or source having a build process rendering logic. 

Single Page Application ( SPA)

An application is written in JavaScript where the web server sends an empty HTML page along with the JavaScript application to the browser. The browser performs the JavaScript code which in turn generates HTML. These are ideally used to interact with heavy apps where page reloads are avoided.

The rendering time is as per the user interaction having a client-side rendering logic. 

Automated builds

Jamstack apps believe in the static generation for the markup to be designed. By default, commits to the crumb repository of your app can trigger a build with Vercel. However, this does not essentially embrace changes within the info.

In associate app designed with Next.js and headless WordPress, progressive static re-generation builds pages that use the info within the background as requests are available. In alternative words, you do not have to be compelled to trigger a build for each modification within the info to be rendered.

Conclusion 

Modern website development has been enhanced with the headless WordPress and NextJS static site generator built on the modern Jamstack technology bringing speed, security, scalability, serviceability to the websites. The modern website development architecture is based on serverless functions that follow 2 guiding principles:

1. Decoupling front and backend by giving freedom to the content creators and the designers making the web extremely fast and secure.
2. Saving cost and time with the deployment via CDNs like Vercel and Netlify.

With Vercel, you'll be able to opt for the serverless functions and Stackground is the modern Jamstack platform that provides the pre-build NextJS WordPress themes. Bringing headless WordPress for back-end and NextJS for front-end. It is a Next-generation website solution for all businesses and individuals dealing in any industry and looking forward to their digital existence.