If someone told me a year ago that I’d be writing JavaScript every day and actually enjoying it, I would’ve laughed, politely walked away, and gone back to my Django views feeling safe and protected. Because honestly, Django felt like home — familiar, structured, old-school in a comforting way. Like that cousin who always shows up at family functions wearing the same hoodie but you love them anyway. But here we are now, in 2025, and I’ve officially switched gears to Next.js. And surprisingly… I’m not crying. In fact, I’m kind of loving it. Before you think I’ve betrayed Python, let me explain how this happened and what I learned along the way.

  My background started with Python and Django — clean syntax, a built-in admin panel (lifesaver, by the way), migrations that actually make sense, and a mature backend-focused ecosystem. Django teaches you discipline: how to structure projects, use models properly, follow MVC (or MVT if you're Django loyal), and write clean server-side logic. So naturally, shifting to Next.js felt like stepping into a wild bazaar compared to Django’s calm, organised supermarket. But once I started building actual projects with Next.js — including my portfolio and company work — things began to click.

  The first big realisation was just how much creative freedom Next.js gives you. Django is like a very strict parent telling you where everything must go — models in one place, views in the other, templates in a specific folder. Next.js, on the other hand, is that cool uncle who goes, “Bro relax, do whatever you want, add as many components as you like, break the whole app if you feel like it — up to you.” At first that freedom was terrifying, but eventually it felt exciting. I could structure pages my own way, break UI into reusable pieces, add animations, tweak everything with Tailwind, experiment with server components — everything felt more *mine*.

  One thing I wasn’t expecting was how huge the frontend world really is when you fully dive into it. Django kept me focused on backend logic, database queries, and templates, but Next.js dropped me straight into React components, state management, props, hooks, and Tailwind classes flying around like confetti. Instead of thinking “How do I query this data?”, I was thinking “How do I make this look beautiful, interactive, and fast?” And honestly, it made me a better developer overall.

  Performance was another shocker. Django apps render HTML on the server and send the whole thing over. Next.js does this thing where it renders on the server, hydrates on the client, caches automatically, optimises images, prefetches routes — basically acting like it chugged two Red Bulls before loading a page. My first Next.js page loaded so fast I genuinely thought something broke. For a second I found myself thinking, “Wait… why is it working? Where’s the error message?”

  Leaving Django REST Framework scared me at first, but surprisingly, Next.js API routes turned out to be ridiculously simple. One file, one function, boom — backend. It’s not as structured as DRF, but for most projects it’s perfect. And because backend and frontend live together in the same environment, building a full stack app suddenly felt *actually full stack*. In Django, if you wanted a fancy UI, you’d add JavaScript separately, fight with the DOM, and pray nothing breaks. In Next.js, everything blends smoothly — rendering UI, fetching data, styling, routing — all in one fluid workflow.

  This shift genuinely changed the way I think about building applications. Next.js made me think in components, reuse patterns, optimise client-side vs server-side logic, and build UI that’s both scalable and modern. It sharpened my creativity, especially because most of my recent work — my portfolio and the Akamedics website — heavily relies on consistent and interactive UI. It didn’t just change my tech stack; it changed my mindset.

  Now let me be clear — Django didn’t become useless. Not even close. Django is still one of the cleanest, most reliable backend frameworks ever. Nothing beats the Django ORM or the admin panel. If anything, Django made learning Next.js easier because Django taught me structure, while Next.js taught me flexibility. Both matter. Both shaped me.

  Switching from Django to Next.js wasn’t just a technical shift — it was a growth moment. It made me more confident as a full-stack developer, more aware of modern frontend standards, and definitely more excited to build beautiful, interactive applications. And most importantly, it reminded me that learning a new technology isn’t abandoning what you already know — it’s just expanding your toolkit.

  So now, whenever someone asks if they should try React or Next.js, I always think of my own journey. If a hardcore Django kid like me can switch gears and enjoy it — literally anyone can.