Data Fetching Landscape in Next.js

Next.js provides several ways to fetch data, each with different tradeoffs. Understanding these options is crucial for building performant applications:

1. Built-in Data Fetching

Next.js offers several built-in methods:

• • getStaticProps - For static generation
• • getServerSideProps - For server-side rendering
• • Client-side fetching with useEffect

2. SWR (Stale-While-Revalidate)

SWR is a React Hooks library for remote data fetching created by Vercel. Key features:

• • Fast, lightweight (only ~4kb)
• • Built-in caching and request deduping

import useSWR from 'swr';

function Profile() {
  const { data, error } = useSWR('/api/user', fetcher);

  if (error) return <div>Failed to load</div>;
  if (!data) return <div>Loading...</div>;
  
  return <div>Hello {data.name}!</div>;
}

3. React Query

React Query is a more full-featured data management library. Advantages include:

• • Powerful caching and state management
• • Background updates and optimistic UI
• • Advanced devtools