In a landmark announcement, Vercel has launched Next.js version 13.5, which boasts a slew of innovative enhancements. These include a 22% increase in local server startup speed, a reduction in memory usage by 40%, and a streamlined method of importing packages. The new features reflect a concerted effort to maximize performance and optimize key operations.
Performance gains have been achieved by focusing on minimizing slow operations and caching, refining costly file system operations, improving the process of tree traversal during compilation, and shifting non-crucial blocking synchronous calls to a lazy mode. Another notable feature is the automatic configuration of large icon libraries.
The Next.js team has introduced an innovative transparent import optimisation method, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This technique is called 'optimize', and it replaces the previously manual way of effecting optimisations. A host of libraries have already undergone improvement to load only module components that the user's code uses.
An interesting addition to the 'next/image' feature is the experimental function 'unstable_getImgProps()'. This new feature paves the way for advanced use cases like working with aspects such as 'background-image' or 'new Image()', 'image-set', 'context.drawImage()' on the canvas, and the process of implementing 'Art Direction' or Light and Dark Mode images using '<picture>' media queries. Previously, developers needed to use the '<Image>' component to achieve these processes, as explained by Vercel.
Accompanying these advancements are updates to the documentation covering a range of areas including Forms and Mutations, Server and Client Components, Content Security Policy and Nonces, and Caching and Revalidating.
Apart from the aforementioned features, the release of the new version brings support for IPv6 hostnames, draft mode in Middleware and Edge Runtimes, and an experimental test mode for Playwright.
Next.js's focus on boosting performance, optimizing operations, and seamlessly orchestrating application development echoes the philosophy of AppMaster.io, a robust no-code platform designed to accelerate backend, web, and mobile application creation. By adopting a similar commitment to innovation, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, AppMaster.io has positioned itself as one of the foremost platforms for comprehensive and swift application development.
