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Frontend framework to edge hosting

← Learning Atlas · Path 11 of 28 · For web developers: follow a React and Next.js frontend onto edge hosting, compare Vercel, Netlify and Cloudflare Pages, and see how DNS ties it together.

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BrowsersruntimesframeworksBuild/deploy toolingMisc tech terms

  1. Step 1: React

    Why this matters here

    React is the component foundation, so the learner starts with the UI model that many modern frontend stacks share.

    In short

    A widely used, open-source JavaScript library developed by Meta (Facebook) for building interactive user interfaces using reusable, encapsulated components.

    Full definition of React →

    Next: Next.js ↓

  2. Step 2: Next.js

    Why this matters here

    Next.js adds routing, rendering, and production conventions on top of React, turning components into a deployable app.

    In short

    A full-stack React framework built by Vercel that enables server-side rendering, static site generation, and powerful routing out of the box.

    Full definition of Next.js →

    Next: Vercel ↓

  3. Step 3: Vercel

    Why this matters here

    Vercel is introduced after Next.js because it is the most direct deployment target for that framework's conventions.

    In short

    A cloud platform specialized in hosting frontend frameworks and static sites, providing seamless serverless deployment and global edge network delivery.

    Full definition of Vercel →

    Next: Netlify ↓

  4. Step 4: Netlify

    Why this matters here

    Netlify gives the learner a second hosting model to compare, especially around static builds and serverless functions.

    In short

    A unified cloud platform that builds, deploys, and scales modern web applications and static sites, heavily championing the decoupled Jamstack architecture.

    Full definition of Netlify →

    Next: Cloudflare Pages ↓

  5. Step 5: Cloudflare Pages

    Why this matters here

    Cloudflare Pages expands the comparison to edge-network deployment and tight integration with Cloudflare's platform.

    In short

    A JAMstack platform for frontend developers to collaborate and deploy websites directly to Cloudflare's global edge network.

    Full definition of Cloudflare Pages →

    Next: DNS ↓

  6. Step 6: DNS

    Why this matters here

    DNS belongs last because deployment is not truly reachable until a domain points users to the hosted application.

    In short

    The "phonebook of the internet" that translates human-readable website names (like google.com) into the numerical IP addresses required by computers to locate servers.

    Full definition of DNS →

    Continue with Containers to backend deployment →