The popular open source web development framework Next.js is reaching its sixth anniversary, and a much-anticipated version 13.
Preparing for it, Vercell today announced the release of Next.js version 12.3. It is the last update before the release of version 13.
“Next.js is one of the fastest-growing JavaScript libraries and tools for building on the web,” said Lydia Hallie, staff developer advocate at Vercel, a platform for front-end developers and creator of Next .js.
“It gained popularity by adopting the tools of choice for developers (React, Node.js), making it easier to configure and build a fast web app and allowing development teams to iterate faster.”
Gaining in popularity
Released in 2016, Next.js is a popular open source web development framework created by Vercel and used by about 40% of developers. A React framework built on top of the Node.js JavaScript runtime, it allows developers to build performance web applications and fast static websites.
Developers choose it for its security, adaptability, search engine optimization (SEO) and overall experience, according to Devin Dickerson, principal analyst at Forrester. “Next.js is gaining popularity among React developers, primarily because of its improved and simplified developer experience,” he said.
According to recent surveyit is the fourth most popular framework by usage and satisfaction, behind React, Express and jQuery.
level up
Next.js 12.3 introduces new features and updates including:
Improved quick update feature
Next.js Fast Refresh gives developers instant feedback on changes they make to apps. Vercel has extended quick update capabilities by hot reloading .env, .jsconfig and .tsconfig files.
“Whereas developers previously had to restart their development server to see changes to such crucial files reflected in their application, now they can see changes instantly,” said Hallie.
Automatic installation of TypeScript
Next.js now automatically configures and installs the dependencies needed to support TypeScript. Previously, adding TypeScript to existing projects required manually installing the necessary dependencies.
New image components
Next.js 12.2 introduced a new experimental image component that allowed users to simply design images and improve their performance. This component is now stable in Next.js 12.3 and Vercel has made improvements that further simplify the process and extend support for blurred placeholders. They’ve also improved accessibility by requiring the “alt” attribute (which provides alternative information for an image if a user can’t see it).
Additionally, developers can now use wildcard matching to specify domains when working with external images. As Hallie explained, this means that instead of having to supply all the exact domains and subdomains to get images, developers can set up a pattern with the expected protocol and hostname. This feature enables remote imaging in a “more powerful and flexible way,” he said.
Additionally, Next.js 12.3 introduces a stable version of the SWC minifier, which was first released in version 12 as an experimental feature.
“The stable versions of the image component and the SWC compiler will make it easier for developers to migrate their application and upgrade to the new version of Next.js,” said Hallie.
‘Drastic change’ in architecture
The release also includes updates to the router and Next.js layouts based on its recent Request for Design Feedback (RFC). Upcoming features will include:
Route groups Instant load states Error handling Templates Route interception, parallel routes and conditional routes
Additionally, Vercel is exploring adding support for global CSS imports in the application directory. This would allow developers to use packages that import their own .css files without requiring additional configuration, Hallie explained.
As she put it, the new routing system covered in the RFC will “dramatically change” the way developers design their Next.js applications.
Room for growth
Hallie noted that incremental adoptions in Next.js allow teams to test new features while maintaining support for existing architecture. For example: changing compilers, minifiers, clusterers and image optimization tools.
Ultimately, “version 12.3 is preparing developers for future releases by allowing features that were enabled by default to be stable and ready for adoption,” Hallie said.
Vercel, which was founded in 2015 and competes with Netlify, Cloudflare, Pantheon, HubSpot CMS, Contentful and Quest (among others), will officially unveil Next.js 13 on its sixth anniversary at Next.js Online Conference on October 25.
While Hallie didn’t reveal specifics, she did say that the upcoming Next.js 13 will feature:
Features that take advantage of React server components, streaming, and suspense. Conventions that make it easier for developers to optimize and scale applications. Open source tools that accelerate local development and production builds.
“Looking at the adoption curve of React on the web, there’s a lot more room for React and Next.js to grow,” said Hallie. “The future is very bright for Next.js; this is just the beginning.”
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