1. Introduction

In this tutorial, we'll look at the reasons to use Next.js for your web development projects. Next.js is a React framework that provides certain features out of the box like server-side rendering and static site generation. This tutorial will guide you through various scenarios where Next.js shines and how it can make your web development process easier and more efficient.

What you will learn:
- What is Next.js and its main features
- Scenarios where Next.js is a good fit
- Examples of Next.js use cases

Prerequisites:
- Basic understanding of JavaScript and React

2. Step-by-Step Guide

2.1 What is Next.js?

Next.js is a React framework that provides an efficient solution for server-side rendering, static site generation, and much more. It allows you to build scalable, high-performance web applications with ease.

2.2 When to use Next.js?

You should consider using Next.js in the following scenarios:

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Next.js is perfect for projects where SEO is a priority. It pre-renders your pages on the server, improving SEO and performance.

• Static Site Generation (SSG): If you're creating a blog or documentation website, Next.js can pre-render your pages at build time.

• API Routes: Next.js provides a solution to build your API directly into your Next.js application.

• Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR): This feature allows you to update static content without needing to rebuild the entire site.

3. Code Examples

Example 1: Basic Page Creation with Next.js

// pages/index.js
function HomePage() {
  return <div>Welcome to Next.js!</div>
}

export default HomePage

In this snippet, we created a functional component HomePage that returns a div with the text "Welcome to Next.js!". This will be your homepage when you navigate to your root URL.

Example 2: Creating an API route in Next.js

// pages/api/hello.js
export default function handler(req, res) {
  res.status(200).json({ text: 'Hello' })
}

In this example, we created an API route /api/hello that responds with a JSON object containing the text "Hello".

4. Summary

In this tutorial, we've covered what Next.js is, its main features, and when to use it. We've also shown examples of how to create a simple page and API route in Next.js.

To continue learning, consider exploring more about data fetching methods in Next.js, dynamic routes, and the next/link and next/image components.

5. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1:
Create a Next.js application with three pages: Home, About, and Contact.

Exercise 2:
Create an API route /api/data that returns a JSON object containing an array of three items.

Exercise 3:
Using the API route created in Exercise 2, display the data on one of your pages.

Remember, practice is key to mastering any new technology, so keep experimenting with different features and use cases of Next.js.