Blazing Fast Sites with Next.js 14: What’s New and How to Use It

1. Turbopack Now Production-Ready

Turbopack, the Webpack replacement introduced in Next.js 13, is now officially stable. Built in Rust, it offers 10x faster local dev builds and instant HMR (Hot Module Replacement) feedback.

Why it matters:

• No more waiting around during dev builds
• Better DX when working with large codebases
• Ideal for monorepos using tools like Turborepo

next dev –turbo

You can enable Turbopack by adding the following to your next.config.js:

module.exports = {

 turbo: {

  enabled: true

 }

}

2. App Router Enhancements

Next.js 14 brings stability and improved ergonomics to the App Router, which now fully supports:

• Nested layouts and templates
• Route-level loading and error UI
• React Server Components by default
• Built-in support for metadata management (via metadata.js)

With support for Server Actions, you can also define backend logic (e.g., form handlers) inside your React component file using use server.

// app/contact/page.tsx
'use client'

import { sendEmail } from './actions'

export default function ContactForm() {
  const action = async (formData) => {
    'use server'
    await sendEmail(formData)
  }

  return (
    <form action={action}>
      <input name="email" />
      <button type="submit">Send</button>
    </form>
  )
}

3. Smarter Image Handling with Next.js Image Component

Improved performance and support for AVIF/WebP formats with automatic fallbacks. The <Image /> component is now smarter, more performant, and better optimized for Lighthouse scores.

🔄 Migration Tips from Next.js 13

If you’re upgrading from Next.js 13, keep the following in mind:

• Deprecation of Pages Router: While still supported, you should begin moving to the App Router (/app directory).
• Middleware API remains the same, but benefits from performance enhancements under the hood.
• Global CSS can still be used, but modular styles (e.g., CSS Modules or Tailwind) are recommended for performance and maintainability.

Migration Checklist:

• Replace /pages with /app directory
• Refactor routes to use layout.tsx, page.tsx, and loading.tsx
• Migrate any custom API logic into app/api/ endpoints