How to Optimize Next.js Images with Strapi for Better Core Web Vitals

Images are the largest content type on web pages, often slowing down loading times and impacting Core Web Vitals negatively. The Next.js Image component optimizes images by intercepting remote requests, resizing, compressing, converting formats, and automatically serving device-appropriate variants, reducing file sizes by 60-80% and improving metrics like Largest Contentful Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift. Integrating Strapi with Next.js involves configuring the next.config.js file to whitelist Strapi domains, ensuring images are optimized without manual processing. Strapi's Media Library generates multiple image variants, and the Next.js Image component uses these to serve the smallest suitable file, ensuring faster page loads and better user experience. Lazy loading and caching further enhance performance by only loading images as they approach the viewport and storing processed results for future requests. This setup not only improves SEO by meeting Core Web Vitals metrics but also simplifies the workflow by eliminating the need for external services or manual optimization steps.