If you've started to look into headless CMS, then you've probably encountered Netlify, Next.js, and Nuxt.js. Knowing about these technologies, however, is not the same as knowing the difference. 

That's why we're going to be covering the differences between these three technologies today. In this short post, you'll get a quick breakdown of each.

What is Netlify?

Netlify is a tool that allows you to deploy a site on the web quickly. Normally, there are challenges with hosting, launching, monitoring, keeping up with downtimes, and so on. 

By using Netlify, all of this is simplified. To use it, you create and log into a Netlify account, choose a custom or Netlify domain, then connect Netlify to your site's code. You can connect it directly to GitHub if you like, which is a big help for most developers. 

There are monthly fees to use Netlify, but for the features, ease of use, and reliability, Netlify easily justifies its price point. That's why it's become such a popular option with headless CMS developers. 

What is Next.js?

Next.js, on the other hand, is a JavaScript framework. For those that don't know, JavaScript is a programming language for building websites that allows you to add complex features and functions to your site. 

Next.js makes it easier to build a powerful website with JavaScript. Specifically, it helps with static websites (i.e., websites that just display information) and web applications (i.e., websites that can do the same things an app can, like Google Docs). 

Similar to Netlify, this allows you to build a powerful, user-friendly website in no time at all. For headless CMS, this makes it easy to build many sites quickly, rapidly add new features and make changes, and much more. 

What makes Next.js so powerful is that you don't have to build all of your pages during the initial build. It provides some rendering options, including server-side and client-side rendering. 

What is Nuxt.js?

Nuxt.js is another JavaScript framework that has similarities to Next.js. What sets it apart, however, is its focus. 

It allows you to separate code and content builds. It builds the site, then crawls that site starting at the homepage and searches for any internal links. Then, it builds all of these pages. 

This is a unique approach, as Nuxt.js builds the webpages incrementally during a single deployment. That means that if you're just changing the content on your site without changing its structure, Nuxt.js will automatically adapt to these changes. This feature makes it ideal and adaptable for headless CMS development. 

Watch for client-side JS bundle size

With these JavaScript frameworks, one thing to bear in mind is your JS bundle size. If the size of your JavaScript bundle gets too big, it can slow down your site's initial loading time. This can hurt your SEO and Google Web Vitals score, lowering your site's engagement. 

For insights, expertise, and bespoke headless CMS development, reach out to the team at Thinklogic today.