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From Gatsby to Next.js: A Developer's Journey in React-based Static Site Generators

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Introduction

As a React developer with over 4 years of experience in projects serving millions of users daily in e-commerce and human resources, I've witnessed the vibrant React community evolve. With each passing day, new updates and enhancements emerge, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in web development. In this post, I'll share my journey from using Gatsby to switching to Next.js for my personal blog, discussing the challenges I faced and the reasons behind my decision.

My Experience with Gatsby

Back in 2021, I embarked on creating a personal blog website. My requirements were simple: I wanted a tool that would allow me to start writing easily, and I didn't want to pay for a server. GitHub Pages or Netlify seemed like perfect hosting solutions.

At that time, Gatsby was the go-to choice for many new blogs, although Next.js was also an option. I decided to go with Gatsby, attracted by its vast ecosystem of plugins that promised a quick and easy start. The use of GraphQL for retrieving blog data and the availability of various CMS options were additional selling points. I opted for Netlify CMS to manage my content and write markdown.

Challenges I Faced with Gatsby

Initially, I encountered difficulties implementing a comments section for my posts. However, work commitments soon took precedence, and I didn't publish any new content for nearly three years. When I finally decided to return to blogging, I found myself facing a series of unexpected challenges:

  1. Nearly all packages required updating
  2. Many plugins had been deprecated and were no longer maintained
  3. Netlify CMS had rebranded, breaking compatibility with my Gatsby setup
  4. Most articles and solutions I found online were outdated

As I delved deeper, I stumbled upon a Reddit thread discussing whether Gatsby was "dead." Despite Netlify's acquisition of Gatsby, it became clear that the community was moving away from the platform.

Discovering Next.js

My first encounter with Next.js came during a refactor of a SaaS e-commerce application at work. The company had chosen Next.js for its out-of-the-box server-side rendering capabilities. However, it wasn't until I decided to move away from Gatsby that I seriously considered Next.js for my personal projects.

While exploring alternatives, I narrowed my choices down to Astro and Next.js. Ultimately, I chose Next.js, believing it to be a more long-term solution. You can find many reasons supporting this decision here.

Key Reasons for Switching

  1. Long-term maintenance: Next.js has gained significant popularity and provides value for both large applications and smaller projects, accelerating development processes.

  2. Performance: Using Lighthouse, I discovered that my Gatsby site had lower web vitals scores compared to a Next.js implementation.

  3. No plugins: I prefer having direct access to and control over my code, rather than relying on plugins that often obscure implementation details.

  4. Deployment: Vercel's seamless deployment process for Next.js projects was a significant advantage.

The Migration Process

Since both Gatsby and Next.js use React components, the conversion process wasn't overly complicated. I forked this template as a starting point, as it was well-maintained and included most features I needed. The main challenge was understanding how the various libraries worked together and how to handle markdown data, which required some research.

Benefits After Switching

After migrating to Next.js, I experienced several improvements:

  1. Easily added features like comments and post interactions
  2. Gained the ability to use routes and server scripts for background processing
  3. Significantly improved performance metrics, potentially boosting SEO

Conclusion

While both Gatsby and Next.js are excellent tools backed by talented developers, Next.js has better suited my needs. I'm optimistic about this decision and hope it will reinvigorate my blogging efforts. I believe we all have unique ideas and perspectives to share, and I encourage you to do the same.

Call to Action

I'd love to hear about your experiences with Gatsby and Next.js. Have you faced similar challenges? What factors influenced your choice of static site generator? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!