How does NextJS with API routes differ technically from running an Node.js server with Express.js?
For example - If I want to develop a full-stack web application with MongoDB, can I use only Next.js with API routes for that purpose? Is connecting and modifying the database safe from the API routes, or is it a security risk?
In other words, are the Next.js API routes exposed into the client browser where the end user would be able to modify the code?
Nextjs API routes are ran serverside. Per the docs,
They are server-side only bundles and won't increase your client-side bundle size
So the end user is unable to modify the code. Just make sure they are in the /pages/api folder. Read the docs for more info: https://nextjs.org/docs/api-routes/introduction