There's been some controversy in the development community surrounding the relationship between React, Next.js, and Vercel. Let's look at the background of this controversy and how it affects hosting and deployment options for Next.js applications.
Background
React, an open-source library maintained by Meta (formerly Facebook), was released in 2013. Three years later, Guillermo Rauch created Next.js to provide consistent server-side rendering for React applications. From Next.js came Vercel, a for-profit company that was established to offer hosting services. Vercel makes it easy to deploy Next.js applications, but you can also use it to host other frameworks like Svelte (which was created by Rich Harris, an employee of Vercel).
The Controversy
The controversy stems from the close relationship between Vercel and key contributors to the React framework. Some people are concerned that Vercel may be influencing the direction of React development. These fears were heightened during the Next.js conference in 2023, where Vercel released the App Router, which relies on React Server Components (RSCs) added to the React core by the React team.
With several React core team members in attendance at the conference, it appeared to some that the React team was too closely tied to Next.js, potentially favoring it over competing frameworks like Remix, Redwood.js, and Astro.
Hosting Concerns
Another aspect of the controversy revolves around hosting Next.js applications. When hosting a Next.js app on Vercel, certain features like specific caches and partial pre-rendering are unlocked. This has led to concerns about the relationship between Vercel and React.
However, it's important to note that Next.js can be deployed on any hosting provider. You can dockerize it, use SST to deploy it on Amazon, or even use OpenNext. While some features may be exclusive to Vercel, there are still many options available for hosting Next.js applications.
The Future of React and Next.js
Despite the controversy, there's no need to be overly concerned about the future of React or Next.js. It's unlikely that either Vercel or Meta would directly tie these technologies to a specific profit motive. As RSCs become more widely adopted by other frameworks like Waku, Remix, and Redwood.js, the controversy is likely to subside.
Course Approach
In this course, we will use Vercel to deploy our first getting started application. This choice is made for simplicity and to demonstrate an end-to-end deployment flow, which is an essential part of professional Next.js development. However, we will also explore other deployment options for Next.js beyond Vercel.
It's important to be informed about the background of these issues and the concerns surrounding Vercel, Next.js, and React. This course is not funded by Vercel, and the instructor has no financial relationship with the company.
Now that we've covered the controversy, let's dive into building our Next.js getting started application and explore the benefits and drawbacks of deploying it on Vercel.