Introduction
Next.js‘ latest version was released with many exciting improvements in the year 2021. Since then it’s turning heads in web development. If you are looking to unlock the power of Next.js 13 to create highly dynamic web applications or apps, then you met us at the right time. This article will explore 8 things that you should know before starting with Next.js 13. So without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
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8 Things You Should Know About Next.js 13
- Turbopack: Undoubtedly, one of the notable features in Next.js 13. Earlier, “Webpack” was considered a powerful tool but at times it was complex and slow. Due to this, the developers of Webpack created a new solution which is “Turbopack”. In terms of fast delivery, it has surpassed the modern alternative “Vite” too. Simply write this command “next dev” to launch and text your Turbopack bundler development server.
- Automatic Font Optimization: Using this feature, you can use any fonts in your application without any external browser queries. Besides, it improves user privacy by limiting the shared user data on external networks. Additionally, minimizing the request to load fonts provides efficiency for the web application.
- Streaming: In the previous version of Next.js, before accessing the webpage, users had to wait for the entire web page to load. It generated the UI and then the server sent the small parts of the code to the client. However, the streaming feature is an added perk for those who have a poor internet connection. It provides them with fast loading speed and improved browsing experience.
- File-Based Routing: With this feature available, you don’t need to deal with complexities while managing the routes in your web pages. Next.js 13 lets developers specify the routes directly in the project directory, making it simple and convenient way. This file-based routing has a straightforward way to create a path for the new file by adding the file name at the entry point of the directory page. There are some more improvements in the Next.js 13 file routing:
–Revised File-Based Routing: This optional app directory has brought extraordinary features and enhancements in a layout structure.
–Improved Directory Structure: It ensures that each new route has its own directory within a page.js file.
–Suspense under the hood & error.js: Whenever the primary component fails to load, it immediately displays an error.
–Organised Directory Structure: This lets store the source files together in the path directory, making it easier to navigate.
- Improved Font: You can use Google Fonts and even customize the fonts in your web application without adding queries from the browsers. And the best part CSS and other font files are downloaded in the build time along with the static assets. This further improves the overall performance of your site.
- React Component Support: This added React component support in Next.js 13 is a boon for developers. It significantly reduces the JavaScript code and lowers the cost of client-side rendering and then loads the website faster on the server side. However, server components and client components work differently in Next.js 13. Server components are saved in the cache during build time, which helps the website run faster. While client component, on the other hand, requires adding the ‘use client’; directive at the beginning of the file. Surprisingly, you can use both components together to balance out the efficiencies and interactivity of the website.
- New Approach to Display and Fetch Data: Next.js 13 uses the async components i.e., async & wait to selectively collect and store data rendered by the server.
Let’s understand this with the following code: Data Fetching using async:
async func getData() {const res = await fetch (‘https://api.example.com/…’);
return res.json();
}
export default async function Page() {
const name = await getData();
return ‘…’;
}
In this sample code, we have declared the component as async and wait for the result. Whereas in the earlier version ‘getServerSideProps’ is used to fetch data from an external API and then pass it as a ‘props’ to every page component. Hence, it makes Next.js more efficient and easier to work with external API.
- Enhanced Image Component: Next.js 13 has come up with improved accessibility for images. On top of that, it uses less client-side JavaScript code, configuration, and styling. In the previous version, the “next/image import” was used everywhere but this is now replaced with next/legacy/image. Likewise, the “next/future/image import” is replaced with the “next/image”. You can use the “codemod tool” to make modifications smoothly in the existing.
Related Post: Complete Guide to Next.js for Beginner
Final Words
These are the 8 features you should be aware about before getting started with Next.js 13. In the article, we have discussed file-based routing, its new approach to fetching and displaying data, an image component, and automatic font optimization features. With these remarkable improvements in Next.js 13, developers can go beyond the existing norm and create a highly scalable and dynamic web application or apps.
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FAQs
Make sure you have node.js installed, and write the following command to install the latest version of Next.js into your system.
npm install –g next@latest
To update the latest version of Next.js in your project write the following command in your terminal:
npm update next
If have a familiarity with React and other Next.js versions can definitely help you to comprehend Next.js 13 features. Instead of starting right away with Next.js 13, you should have hands-on experience in React.
Yes, Next.js 13 is built on the Webpack Assest Pipeline and React. Because of this, you can write programs in server-side as well as client-side mode. Additionally, it provides the option to deploy on various platforms for a smooth development process.
If you’re clear with the concept of server-side rendering, React, and JavaScript then it won’t be challenging for you.
There’s a notable change in server components that fetch and render the components on the server. Ultimately, it reduces the size of the code and improves overall performance.
