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Create React App (CRA) is deprecated for new apps, but existing CRA projects have not stopped working and do not need an immediate rewrite. For a new project, React recommends using a framework in most cases. Choose Vite when you want a focused build tool for a client-rendered app and are ready to make your own routing and data-fetching choices; choose Next.js when integrated routing and the option to add server rendering, static generation, or other framework features fit your needs.
What does “Create React App is dead” actually mean?
On February 14, 2025, React announced that it was deprecating CRA for new apps. The announcement cited the lack of active maintainers and limitations that made it difficult to build high-performance production apps. It also clarified that existing projects would continue in maintenance mode and that React had published a CRA version compatible with React 19. “Dead” is shorthand for its status as a starting point for new projects, not a notice that existing apps have been switched off. React’s announcement says: “Today, we’re deprecating Create React App for new apps, and encouraging existing apps to migrate to a framework, or to migrate to a build tool like Vite, Parcel, or RSBuild.”
If your CRA app is stable, the announcement alone is not a reason to stop feature work or rewrite it immediately. Assess whether its maintenance needs or planned features justify a move, then choose a destination based on what the app needs.
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The key distinction is responsibility: Vite provides the development and build layer, while Next.js provides a framework with routing and multiple rendering options. Neither is universally better, and neither forces a particular hosting provider.
#1 Best Overall
| Choice | Best fit | What you get | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stay on CRA for now | An existing app that is stable and has no immediate feature or maintenance reason to move | Continued operation in maintenance mode | Deprecated for new apps and not React’s recommended direction for new projects |
| Vite | A client-rendered React app where the team wants a focused build tool and is comfortable choosing application libraries | A development server with hot-module replacement, production builds, and React starter templates | It is not a full React framework; routing and data-fetching choices remain yours unless you add libraries or a framework |
| Next.js | An app that benefits from integrated routing and may need server rendering, static generation, streaming, or other framework capabilities | A framework with page- or component-level rendering choices and integrated application features | It entails a broader framework adoption and migration work; server features are optional |
React’s new-project guidance recommends a framework for most apps, particularly when routing is needed, because framework routing can integrate with concerns such as data fetching and code splitting. It also recognizes that starting from scratch with a build tool such as Vite can suit particular constraints or preferences. Full-stack frameworks can support client-side rendering, single-page apps, and static-site generation; server rendering can be added on routes where it is useful.
Choose Vite when you want to own the application choices
Vite supplies a dev server and a build command that produces production assets. It is a natural fit if the application can remain client-rendered and you want to select and compose routing, data-fetching, and other libraries yourself. That control also means the team must make and maintain those choices rather than receiving them as part of a framework.
To scaffold a React project, Vite documents the command npm create vite@latest; its guide lists React and React+TypeScript templates. The current guide requires Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+, and notes that some templates may require more. Check the live Vite guide before scaffolding because requirements can change.
Choose Next.js when integrated routing and rendering options matter
Next.js offers an integrated framework approach for routing and data loading, including choices between build-time and request-time data fetching and support for streaming. You can use client-side rendering or static output rather than adopting server rendering everywhere. If server features are unnecessary, a static export can be deployed to a CDN or static host, though static export excludes server features.
Next.js is not tied to one hosting model: its documentation describes deployment with Node.js or Docker, self-hosting, and static export. See the CRA migration guide for its staged approach, and the React framework guidance for the broader options.
How to choose based on your app
- Your app is stable and you have no concrete reason to move: keep maintaining it for now. CRA’s deprecation does not itself require an immediate migration.
- You need a client-rendered app and prefer to assemble your own stack: consider Vite. Plan explicitly for routing and data fetching if the app needs them.
- You want integrated routing, or specific routes may benefit from server-side or build-time rendering: consider Next.js. You can start with client-only behavior and add framework capabilities as needed.
- You are starting a new app and are unsure: begin with React’s framework recommendation, then choose a build-tool setup such as Vite if a specific constraint or preference makes that boundary a better fit.
These choices are about architecture and team ownership, not a proven speed ranking. The official material cited here does not establish a universal performance winner or a comparable Vite-versus-Next.js benchmark.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to migrate a CRA app without rewriting it all at once
Start with the current behavior, not with a target rendering feature. Next.js’s migration guidance recommends getting the app running as a client-only SPA first, without immediately replacing its router. That creates a safer point from which to decide whether and where framework features are useful.
- Inventory the app. Record its router, service worker, proxy rules, environment variables, public path or CRA
homepage, tests, deployment assumptions, and any custom webpack, Babel, or TypeScript configuration. These details can affect migration work. - Choose the destination by responsibility. If you mainly want a different build and development setup, evaluate Vite. If integrated routing and optional server or static rendering capabilities are important, evaluate Next.js.
- For Next.js, establish the SPA phase first. Follow the official guide to create the Next.js configuration and root layout, carry over the HTML shell, add a catch-all route for the SPA phase, and update the project scripts. Preserve the current router initially rather than changing routing and rendering at the same time.
- Update browser-exposed environment variable names. In the Next.js migration, variables previously exposed with the CRA prefix
REACT_APP_need theNEXT_PUBLIC_prefix. Review which values are intended for browser use rather than mechanically renaming every variable. - For Vite, scaffold or configure the build layer. Use a React template or integrate Vite in the existing repository, then choose routing and data-fetching approaches if required. The Vite guide covers the available React templates and setup.
- Validate the behavior your app depends on. Check routes, asset paths, environment handling, proxy behavior, service-worker behavior, tests, and the deployment output. Treat custom CRA configuration and deployment assumptions as migration work to resolve, not as settings guaranteed to transfer unchanged.
- Adopt additional framework features separately. Once the app works in its initial setup, consider server rendering, static generation, or other Next.js capabilities route by route. A migration does not require enabling them everywhere.
The appropriate effort depends on the application’s configuration and dependencies; there is no reliable fixed migration duration without inspecting the project.
Best Value
Where to begin
For an existing CRA app, first document how it routes, loads data, handles assets and environment variables, and deploys. Keep it running while you identify a concrete reason to change. Then choose Vite for a deliberately build-tool-led client app or Next.js for integrated routing and rendering options, and migrate in stages that preserve working behavior.
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