The Next Image Component: What You Should Know

November 4, 2022November 4, 2022 Zeeshan

Next.js image component has excellent optimization capabilities. This built-in optimization component is an automatic and essential feature. It is because images take up 50% of the space on web pages.

So they have a significant impact on the ranking of websites. React file upload also helps you in the optimization.

Unfortunately, most developers haven’t started working on this fantastic component. Therefore, very few people know about it. But don’t worry because we will explore all the basic concepts linked to the next image component.

We will also learn the importance of this component in react file upload. Let’s continue reading!

next image , remote images , dynamic images , and cached optimized images in image file

What Is the Image Component?

It is more like a react component. We add additional features and functions to our images using an image component, just like an image quality enhancer.

Moreover, we also define the width and height of our images. Finally, it includes styling, placeholder prop, alt text, and other features.

What Is the Next Image Component?

It is an extension of the HTML tag <img> designed for modern web solutions. The best part about this component is that we have different built-in optimization functions.

These functionalities help us achieve good core web vitals. Through the help of these factors, we measure the score of user experience on our website.

Moreover, these scores are also factored into the search rankings of Google.

animated images with only empty space in underlying img element

What Is the Requirement for Next.JS to Add an Image?

However, we also use this component in an older version of next. Therefore, experts recommend using the latest version of next.js.

Which Optimization Features Next.JS Image Component Include?

The best part about the optimization component is that it has built-in performance optimizations. Some most common and vital optimizations are listed below:

Responsiveness

We resize our images according to the requirements of the device that we use.

Faster Page Load

We load images only when we enter viewport changes which load slowly by default.

Visual stability

We automatically avoid the problem linked with cumulative layout shift.

Improved Performance

We encode and resize next.js images on demand. It doesn’t matter, even if they are stored on remote servers or CMS. It saves us time by preventing us from creating different sizes.

How to Use the Next.JS Image Component?

There are a few main factors that we need to consider when using that component.

First, we should ensure the installation of the latest version of next.js. The newest version will be more than or equal to ten. Note that this step is the prerequisite that we must follow. Once we install the latest version of next.js, we import components as under:

import Image from ‘next/image’

We need to add value to the props. For example:

SRC:

It can be a path string or a statically imported image. In the case of path strings, we may also use an absolute external URL. But we need to add the domain of URLs in next.config.js. For example:

module.exports = {
images: {
domains: [
‘external-domain-1.com’,
‘external-domain-2.com’
],
},
}

We see it working with a URL as under:

import Image from ‘next/image’
import fooImage from ‘../public/assets/foo.jpg’
function FooComponent() {
return (
<>
{/*// …*/}
<Image
src={profilePic}
alt=”Foo image”
layout={“fill”}
// …
/>
{/*// …*/}
</>
)
}

custom function with native img element and callback function having device width breakpoints

Height Props

It represents the image’s height in the form of pixels. This prop is mandatory except when we use the fill layout property or statically imported images.

Width

Width is also an integer representing our image’s width in pixels. We see the usage of height as well as width in the following example code:

import Image from ‘next/image’
import fooImage from ‘../public/assets/foo.jpg’
function FooComponent() {
return (
<>
{/*// …*/}
<Image
src={profilePic}
alt=”Foo image”
width={3840}
height={2160}
// …
/>
{/*// …*/}
</>
)
}

But we also need to take care of a few important factors. For example, the height and width props should match our image ratio dimensions. So it is no different than using a <img> tag in HTML.

What Are Layouts in Next.JS Image Component?

The following image component also comes with a layout prop. It supports four different layouts given below:

Fill Layout

This layout scales the height and width according to the dimension of the parent element. But note that the height element has a particular position.

We use this layout with object position and object-fit properties in CSS, like resize image CSS properties. When using a fill layout, it is not necessary to match image dimensions.

Fixed Layout

When the viewport changes, the image dimensions will be fixed in a fixed layout. It doesn’t contain responsiveness or resizing. But the image overflows the parent component.

Intrinsic

The intrinsic layout is a default behavior. For example, we can adjust the image visually on small viewports. On the other hand, it can be maintained for larger viewports.

Responsive Layout Behavior

This layout helps to scale down for smaller viewports. On the other hand, it can scale up for larger viewports. An example of using layout props is given below:

import Image from ‘next/image’
function FooComponent() {
return (
<>
{/*// …*/}
<Image
src={“https://external-domain-1.com/fooImage.jpg”}
alt=”Foo image”
width={3840}
height={2160}
layout={“responsive”} // intrinsic|fixed|responsive|fill allowed
// …
/>
{/*// …*/}
</>
)
}

What Are Features in Next.JS Images?

Next.js images can support some most important features given below:

Quality

We can represent the quality of the optimized image through an integer lying between 1 to 100. The default value for quality is 75.

Sizes

We can learn to know the width of our image at different breakpoints. For example, it is used while employing a responsive or fill layout.

Loader

We call this function when we resolve the image URL.

ObjectPosition

It tells the position of an image concerning its parent element when using the fill layout.

Object-Fit

It tells us how our image can fit into a parent container.

Priority

It gives our image a high priority. We can preload and avoid lazy loading by setting it to true. The default value of priority is false. But when dealing with the “Largest Contentful Paint,” we need to make it accurate.

Placeholder property

We can use it when our image is loading. It supports two value; empty or blurred. The default value is set to empty.

Unoptimized

It is a boolean value that cancels any optimization in our images, such as width, height, and image file formats. Moreover, it helps us to achieve something very close to <img> behavior. The default value of unoptimized is set to false.

Conclusion

We improve the experience as the developer by using Image optimization through Next Js. It is also possible through a robust API that works and extends easily. As a result, it solves the need for major Core Web Vitals and helps to rank higher.

Moreover, optimization components have made it easier to manage. Because the modern web has requirements for high standards in the case of images.

And the images are responsible for representing the top part of a web page. Therefore, we must solve all the problems linked to image optimization.

FAQs

What Does Next Image Do?

It can help us to achieve good core web vitals.

Should You Use Next Image?

Yes. It can give us various techniques to improve quality.

How Do I Use Next Image?

We can use it by installing the next.js library.

Does Next Image Resize Images?

Yes. We can resize it and decode it as per our requirements.

Tags: Filestack, API, APILayer, Charts, Code Editor, Data Visualization