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An Exploration of Next.js 14

An Exploration of Next.js 14

Oct 27, 2023
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Next.js, the popular React framework, has recently launched its version 14, unveiling a suite of enhancements aimed at boosting local development performance and simplifying data mutations. This release underscores the continual effort of the Next.js community to offer an efficient, developer-friendly environment for building modern web applications. 

Main Highlights of Next.js 14:

Turbocharged Performance:

  • TurboPack integration has led to significant performance improvements in the local development environment:
  • 53% faster local server startup
  • 94% faster code updates with Fast Refresh
  • These advancements are the result of rigorous testing, with 5,000 integration tests now passing for next dev under TurboPack, Next.js's Rust-based engine.

Server Actions (Stable):

  • Next.js 14 introduces Server Actions to simplify data mutations, allowing developers to define server-run functions that can be directly called from React components.
  • This feature eradicates the need to manually create API routes, offering a more streamlined developer experience.
// app/page.tsx

export default function Page() {
  async function create(formData: FormData) {
    'use server';
    const id = await createItem(formData);
  }
 
  return (
    <form action={create}>
      <input type="text" name="name" />
      <button type="submit">Submit</button>
    </form>
  );
}

Partial Prerendering (Preview):

  • Next.js 14 previews Partial Prerendering, a compiler optimization aimed at delivering a fast initial static response while streaming dynamic content.
  • This feature employs React Suspense to generate a static shell, which is then replaced with dynamic components as needed.
// app/page.tsx

export default function Page() {
  return (
    <main>
      <header>
        <h1>My Store</h1>
        <Suspense fallback={<CartSkeleton />}>
          <ShoppingCart />
        </Suspense>
      </header>
      <Banner />
      <Suspense fallback={<ProductListSkeleton />}>
        <Recommendations />
      </Suspense>
      <NewProducts />
    </main>
  );
}

New Next.js Learn Course:

  • A free course on Next.js Learn covering a broad range of topics including the App Router, authentication, database setup, and more has been released.
  • This course aims to provide comprehensive knowledge, enabling developers to leverage the full potential of Next.js 14.

Additional Enhancements and Breaking Changes:

  • Some of the notable improvements include enhanced memory management, more verbose logging around fetch caching, and an 80% reduction in function size for a basic create-next-app application.
  • Several breaking changes such as the minimum Node.js version requirement being updated to 18.17, and deprecated metadata options have also been introduced.
Next.js 14

Next.js 14 brings forth a promising set of features and optimizations, reinforcing its commitment to delivering a seamless development experience. As the community continues to grow and contribute, we can anticipate further innovative solutions to modern web development challenges.

Prasoon Thakur