Glossary Terms

Next.js

Next.js is an open-source framework built on React (a popular tool for building web interfaces), made by Vercel, that prepares a page on the server before sending it instead of leaving the visitor's browser to assemble it, which fixes the speed and search problems of browser-only apps. A plain React app builds the page in the visitor's browser, so the first load is slow and search engines struggle to read it; Next.js sends ready-made HTML instead, giving fast loading and pages search engines can fully index. Its signature features include file-based routing, serverless API routes alongside the front end, built-in image optimization, and the App Router with React Server Components for fine control over what renders where. In the WordPress world it's the most popular choice for headless front ends, usually paired with WPGraphQL or the REST API to fetch content.