Next.js is a popular web framework that solves two major problems: slow initial page load times and SEO issues. It provides features such as hot code reloading, styling options, TypeScript support, environment variables, and automatic code splitting. Next.js also offers a filesystem-based routing structure, API routing, performance measurement tools, and a command line interface. The framework is designed to be customizable with a `next.config.js` file, and it has a solid developer experience compared to other frameworks like Gatsby. With its extensive resources and examples available, getting started with Next.js is relatively easy.