Gatsby vs Next.js in 2021

In this episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes talk about Gatsby vs Next. A lot has changed in the last year — what are the differences, and do the recommendations from Syntax 120 still hold true?

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Show Notes

03:34 - Server-rendered

• Both do server rendered
• Gatsby is gone at build time
• Next is done at build and on deploy

05:26 - Static generation

• getStaticProps()
• getServerSideProps()

08:25 - Re-rendering pages

• Gatsby can be re-rendered and re-deployed - any CMS lets you do this on only the pages that changed.
• Gatsby-cloud
• Next.js has the revalidate flag that will re-render when stale

18:54 - Data management

• Gatsby has a built in GraphQL API feature with
• Next.js has nothing - it’s not their problem. Use Apollo, or SWR, React Query, or redux, or whatever you want.

23:16 - Client-side data

• Neither do anything, next.

26:33 - Dynamic Pages

• List of 100 shoes, each one gets a page
• List of four types of shoes: basketball, runners, casual, bowling, etc.
• List of 10 colors: each color gets its own page.
• List of 12 sizes, each size gets its own page.
• Now it gets complicated when you do this:
  • Show me basketball shoes, in red, in size 5
  • 600 pages minimum
  • What about size 6+7?
  • Then you get into having to fetch data on the client side - but all your data is in GraphQL?!
  • The queries are different!
• Gatsby will get “Hosted GraphQL”: https://twitter.com/kylemathews/status/1252803849775009794

30:41 - Routing

• Neither do nested routing still
• Both do folder based wrapper

34:50 - Hosting

• Anywhere

35:54 - Images

• Compression/resize
• Lazy loading
• SVG
• Blur up
• Next 10 released first revision of Next.js image
  • It’s not as good as Gatbsy-image
  • Must specify width and height, whereas gatsby has fixed and fluid
  • Compression
  • No blur up
  • Yes lazy loading
  • both don’t support gifs
  • Gatbsy requires annoying GraphQL query OR another plugin like MDX to do it
    • Not for long! https://twitter.com/ascorbic/status/1320770231657238529
  • Next.js is just 
  • Next does remote images
  • Neither have quality or format auto like Cloudinary does
  • Gatsby images have to be compressed at build time
  • Next.js can do it on the fly
    • assuming your server has the right tooling installed
• The GOLD STANDARD - https://gridsome.org/docs/images/
  • Lib authors need to give this a look
• https://twitter.com/mxstbr/status/1323279745275101184
• https://github.com/gatsbyjs/gatsby/tree/master/packages/gatsby-plugin-image

46:20 - Server or Serverless

• Gatsby - none. You can do it with Netlify, Begin, AWS, Gatsby doesn’t care.
• Next.js - can do server with API routes. Can do serverless if you host on Vercel.

49:44 - SEO

• Tags
  • Gatsby - Helmet
  • Next - Head
• Sitemap
  • Plugin for both

49:55 - Plugin Ecosystem

• Gatsby has lots of plugins that you install
• Next.js has some too. Seems Gatsby is easier in this regard because plugins can manage and normalize data into the GRaphQL Layer.

53:10 - Auth

• Neither do auth
• The first to do baked-in auth solution could get big gains.
• See Scott’s Svelte Meteor accounts set up. It good. https://github.com/leveluptuts/svelte-accounts-ui

55:00 - E-commerce

• Gatsby - options are mostly limited to Snipcart and Shopify like iframe drop in solutions where the majority of operations take place on another site and service.
• Next.js - hey released a starter boilerplate that leans on an existing headless cart
• https://rainierwatch.com/

Links

• Syntax 120: Gatsby vs Next
• Gatsby
• Next.js
• Svelte
• Meteor
• Vercel
• GraphQL
• https://www.swyx.io/react-sfcs-here/
• React Query
• SWR
• React Router
• gatsby-image
• Cloudinary
• imgIX
• Begin
• Netlify
• https://reactioncommerce.com/
• Shopify
• SnipCart
• WooCommerce

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• Scott: Cobra Drain Zip It
• Wes: Deli Containers:
  • Mixed Boys
  • Small Boys
  • Medium Boys
  • Large Boys

Shameless Plugs

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