Building rich text editing capabilities in your Next.js application can significantly enhance the user experience, whether you're creating a blog, CMS, or any app requiring advanced text input. With Next.js 14's release, developers can leverage the new features, performance upgrades, and the expanding React ecosystem to seamlessly integrate a powerful rich text editor.
Here’s the ultimate guide to selecting the best rich text editor for your Next.js 14 project:
Overview:
Developed by Facebook, Draft.js is a powerful framework for building rich text editors in React. It's built around the idea of creating an editor that handles rich text but also allows developers to extend the functionality as needed.
Pros:
npm install draft-js
"use client"; import React from "react"; import { Editor, EditorState } from "draft-js"; import "draft-js/dist/Draft.css"; const MyEditor = () => { const [editorState, setEditorState] = useState(() => EditorState.createEmpty() ); return ( <div> <Editor editorState={editorState} onChange={setEditorState} />; </div> ); }; export default MyEditor;
Overview: Jodit is a lightweight, fast, and feature-rich JavaScript editor that provides a user-friendly interface for content editing. The jodit-react
package makes it simple to use Jodit within React projects.
npm i jodit-react
"use client"; import React from "react"; import JoditEditor from "jodit-react"; import "jodit-react/examples/app.css"; const MyEditor = () => { const editor = useRef(null); const [myContent, setMyContent] = useState(myLocalContent); const [config, setConfig] = useState({ readonly: false, height: 600, toolbar: true, zIndex: -1, }); const changeContent = (newContent) => { setMyContent(newContent); }; return ( <div> <JoditEditor ref={editor} config={config} value={myContent} tabIndex={1} onChange={changeContent} /> </div> ); }; export default MyEditor;
Overview: Quill is an open-source, simple-to-use WYSIWYG editor with a rich API for customization. It's lightweight and provides a clean, consistent user experience.
Pros:
Usage Example:
npm install react-quill
"use client"; import React from "react"; import dynamic from 'next/dynamic'; import 'react-quill/dist/quill.snow.css'; const ReactQuill = dynamic(() => import('react-quill'), { ssr: false }); const MyEditor = () => { const [value, setValue] = useState(''); return ( <div> <ReactQuill value={value} onChange={setValue} /> </div> ); }; export default MyEditor;
Overview: Tiptap is a headless editor framework built on top of ProseMirror. It gives developers full control over the rendering process while offering default behavior and styling.
Pros:
npm install @tiptap/react @tiptap/starter-kit
"use client"; import React from "react"; import { EditorContent, useEditor } from '@tiptap/react'; import StarterKit from '@tiptap/starter-kit'; const MyEditor = () => { const editor = useEditor({ extensions: [StarterKit], content: '<p>Hello World!</p>', }); return ( <div> <EditorContent editor={editor} />; </div> ); }; export default MyEditor;
Overview: Slate.js is a customizable framework for building rich text editors. It allows developers to fully control the experience and supports complex use cases like nested elements and collaboration.
Pros:
npm install slate slate-react
"use client"; import React from "react"; import { Slate, Editable, withReact } from "slate-react"; import { createEditor } from "slate"; import { useMemo, useState } from "react"; const MyEditor = () => { const editor = useMemo(() => withReact(createEditor()), []); const [value, setValue] = useState(initialValue); const initialValue = [ { type: "paragraph", children: [{ text: "A line of text in a paragraph." }], }, ]; return ( <div> <Slate editor={editor} value={value} onChange={setValue}> <Editable /> </Slate> </div> ); }; export default MyEditor;
Overview: CKEditor 5 is a full-featured, modern WYSIWYG editor offering a wide range of plugins and rich text functionalities. It’s ready to use out-of-the-box but highly customizable with a variety of extensions.
Pros:
npm install @ckeditor/ckeditor5-react @ckeditor/ckeditor5-build-classic
"use client"; import React from "react"; import { CKEditor } from "@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react"; import ClassicEditor from "@ckeditor/ckeditor5-build-classic"; const MyEditor = () => { const editor = useMemo(() => withReact(createEditor()), []); const [value, setValue] = useState(initialValue); const initialValue = [ { type: "paragraph", children: [{ text: "A line of text in a paragraph." }], }, ]; return ( <div> <CKEditor editor={ClassicEditor} data="<p>Hello from CKEditor 5!</p>" onChange={(event, editor) => { const data = editor.getData(); console.log({ event, editor, data }); }} /> </div> ); }; export default MyEditor;
Choosing the right rich text editor for your Next.js 14 project depends on your specific requirements:
Each editor has its own strengths, so evaluate the trade-offs based on your use case, whether you’re looking for ease of use, advanced functionality, or a balance between the two.