Vercel decided to surprise us by releasing the newest version of Next.js just a few hours ahead of Next.js Conf 2025.
You can upgrade to the newest version with npx @next/codemod@canary upgrade latest command or start a new project with npx create-next-app@latest
Let’s have a look at the most exciting changes we can expect.
- Turbopack is now the default bundler for all new apps. Developers can expect 2–5× faster builds and up to 10× faster Fast Refresh, no configuration needed. Filesystem caching will reuse build artifacts across runs.
- Next.js 16 introduces Cache Components, a new caching model built around the use cache directive and Partial Pre-Rendering (PPR). Enjoy the speed of static rendering with the flexibility of dynamic content.
- The new Next.js DevTools MCP integrates with the Model Context Protocol, letting AI agents analyze your app’s routing, caching, and rendering behavior directly inside your workflow.
- proxy.ts replaces middleware.ts, making the app’s network boundary clearer and more predictable. The logic stays the same. All you have to do is rename and update the export to
proxy(). - Layout deduplication now avoids downloading shared layouts multiple times, while incremental prefetching fetches only what’s missing. The new addition of APIs like
updateTag()andrefresh()will make refreshing data in real time much easier. - The
experimental.pprandexperimental.dynamicIOflags have been replaced by the new Cache Components model. - From this version, React 19.2 is supported, introducing View Transitions,
useEffectEvent(), and a new<Activity />component for rendering background tasks.
Several old features have been removed, including AMP support, the next lint command, and legacy image settings.
To learn more, read the official release post.
Want to learn more about Next.js? Download the CTO’s Ultimate Guide to Next.js
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