# Next.js

> JavaScript framework to create web applications

**Wikidata**: [Q56062435](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56062435)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next.js)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/next-js

## Summary
Next.js is an open-source JavaScript framework used for creating web applications, functioning as both a static site generator and a React framework. Developed by Vercel, it runs on the React library and is distributed under the MIT License. The framework is cross-platform and had its inception on October 25, 2016.

## Key Facts
- **Type:** JavaScript framework, static site generator, free software, and JavaScript library.
- **Developer:** Vercel.
- **Initial Release:** October 25, 2016.
- **License:** MIT License.
- **Core Requirements:** React (JavaScript library) and Sass (Syntactically Awesome StyleSheets).
- **Operating System:** Cross-platform.
- **NPM Package:** `next`.
- **Official Website:** https://nextjs.org.
- **Repository:** Hosted on GitHub at `vercel/next.js` (formerly `zeit/next.js`).
- **Social Media:** The official Twitter handle is `@nextjs`, with over 133,000 followers reported as of October 2023.

## FAQs
### Q: What programming language and libraries does Next.js depend on?
A: Next.js is a JavaScript framework that runs on React. It also supports Sass for styling and relies on several internal and external software packages like `postcss`, `styled-jsx`, and `caniuse-lite`.

### Q: Is Next.js free to use?
A: Yes, Next.js is free software released under the MIT License.

### Q: Who maintains Next.js?
A: Next.js is developed and maintained by Vercel. The source code is available publicly on GitHub.

### Q: When was the first stable version of Next.js released?
A: The project inception dates to October 25, 2016. Early stable versions (v1.0.1 through v1.0.2) were published in early November 2016, with version 2.0.0 following in March 2017.

## Why It Matters
Next.js is a significant tool in the modern web development landscape because it extends the capabilities of the React library, allowing developers to build performant web applications with features like static site generation. By offering a structured framework that handles routing, rendering, and optimization out of the box, it simplifies the complexity often associated with configuring React for production environments. Its classification as a "static site generator" highlights its ability to pre-render pages at build time, which improves load times and SEO performance compared to traditional client-side rendering.

The framework's relevance is demonstrated by its widespread adoption and community support. It maintains a strong digital presence with a dedicated subreddit, a Wikipedia presence in ten languages, and a rapidly growing social media following (jumping from roughly 21,700 followers in 2022 to over 133,000 by late 2023). As a cross-platform tool maintained by Vercel, it serves as a bridge between React's UI library and the infrastructure needed to deploy scalable web applications globally.

## Notable For
- **React Integration:** It is a primary framework for utilizing the React library for building user interfaces in a full-stack context.
- **Hybrid Capabilities:** It is recognized as both a JavaScript framework and a static site generator, offering flexibility in how web content is delivered.
- **Ecosystem Growth:** It has a dedicated package on npm (`next`) and has evolved significantly since its 2016 inception, evidenced by a robust version history and GitHub activity.
- **Architecture:** It supports cross-platform compatibility and utilizes the SWC compiler (indicated by dependencies like `@next/swc`) for high-performance building and compilation.

## Body
### Technical Specifications and Dependencies
Next.js is a cross-platform JavaScript framework released under the MIT License. It is heavily reliant on the React library, which serves as a foundational requirement. Additionally, it supports Sass (Syntactically Awesome StyleSheets) for styling.

The framework relies on a specific set of software dependencies to function, including:
- `postcss`
- `styled-jsx`
- `caniuse-lite`
- `@next/env`
- `@swc/helpers`

To ensure compatibility across different environments, Next.js includes specific bindings for various architectures, such as `@next/swc-darwin-arm64`, `@next/swc-darwin-x64`, `@next/swc-android-arm-eabi`, and `@next/swc-freebsd-x64`.

### History and Development
The project was developed by Vercel and was officially inaugurated on October 25, 2016. The source code was originally hosted at `github.com/zeit/next.js` but transitioned to `github.com/vercel/next.js` in 2020 following a name change associated with the organization.

**Version History:**
- **Version 1.0.1:** Released on November 4, 2016.
- **Version 1.1.0:** Released on November 5, 2016.
- **Version 1.2.3:** Released on December 21, 2016.
- **Version 2.0.0:** Released on March 27, 2017.

### Community and Digital Presence
Next.js has established a strong presence in the developer community. It is widely linked across the web (sitelink_count: 22) and has Wikipedia entries in ten languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese. The framework maintains a verified Twitter account (`@nextjs`), which saw substantial growth in followers between 2022 and 2023. It also has a dedicated community on Reddit (`r/nextjs`) and is a recognized topic on GitHub and GitLab.

## References

1. [2025](https://github.com/EvanLi/Github-Ranking/blob/master/Data/github-ranking-2025-07-06.csv)
2. [Release 1.0.1. 2016](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/1.0.1)
3. [Release 1.0.1. 2016](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/1.0.1)
4. [npmjs](https://registry.npmjs.com/next)
5. [Release 1.0.2. 2016](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/1.0.2)
6. [Release 1.0.2. 2016](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/1.0.2)
7. [Release 1.1.0. 2016](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/1.1.0)
8. [Release 1.1.0. 2016](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/1.1.0)
9. [Release 1.1.1. 2016](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/1.1.1)
10. [Release 1.1.1. 2016](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/1.1.1)
11. [Release 1.1.2. 2016](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/1.1.2)
12. [Release 1.1.2. 2016](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/1.1.2)
13. [Release 1.2.0. 2016](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/1.2.0)
14. [Release 1.2.0. 2016](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/1.2.0)
15. [Release 1.2.1. 2016](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/1.2.1)
16. [Release 1.2.1. 2016](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/1.2.1)
17. [Release 1.2.2. 2016](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/1.2.2)
18. [Release 1.2.2. 2016](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/1.2.2)
19. [Release 1.2.3. 2016](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/1.2.3)
20. [Release 1.2.3. 2016](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/1.2.3)
21. [Release 2.0.0. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.0.0)
22. [Release 2.0.0. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.0.0)
23. [Release 2.0.1. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.0.1)
24. [Release 2.0.1. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.0.1)
25. [Release 2.1.0. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.1.0)
26. [Release 2.1.0. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.1.0)
27. [Release 2.1.1. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.1.1)
28. [Release 2.1.1. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.1.1)
29. [Release 2.2.0. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.2.0)
30. [Release 2.2.0. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.2.0)
31. [Release 2.3.0. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.3.0)
32. [Release 2.3.0. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.3.0)
33. [Release 2.3.1. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.3.1)
34. [Release 2.3.1. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.3.1)
35. [Release 2.3.2. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.3.2)
36. [Release 2.3.2. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.3.2)
37. [Release 2.4.0. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.0)
38. [Release 2.4.0. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.0)
39. [Release 2.4.1. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.1)
40. [Release 2.4.1. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.1)
41. [Release 2.4.2. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.2)
42. [Release 2.4.2. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.2)
43. [Release 2.4.3. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.3)
44. [Release 2.4.3. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.3)
45. [Release 2.4.4. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.4)
46. [Release 2.4.4. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.4)
47. [Release 2.4.5. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.5)
48. [Release 2.4.5. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.5)
49. [Release 2.4.6. 2017](https://github.com/zeit/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.6)
50. [Release 2.4.6. 2017](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/releases/tag/2.4.6)