nextjs is great in a sense that it allows to make full stack apps very conviniently. Making an api endpoint is just creating a file. If only there was less stuff in between though
You can use Next with the page router and it's lot simpler. Or Astro?
"Simpler" doesn't necessarily mean better. Next is convenient as long as you stay inside the box, but it's very limiting otherwise (that is, it doesn't adapt to a wide variety of usecases, but rather forces you to adapt to it -- that's my main gripe).