#63: Route-level Middlewares, Better Auth, Serverless Servers, Next.js 15 RC2, Self-Hosting Guide, Server Actions Magic

Next.js 15 RC 2 – The second Release Candidate of Next.js 15 is out, packed with some awesome changes. This will likely be the final one before the stable release drops, so if you want to stay ahead of the curve, now’s your chance. Some of the changes:

• @next/codemod upgrade: Easily upgrade to the latest Next.js and React versions.
• Async Request APIs (Breaking): Incremental step towards a simplified rendering and caching model.
• Server Actions: Enhanced security with unguessable endpoints and removal of unused actions.
• Self-hosting: More control over Cache-Control headers.

There's more! Be sure to check out Lee's live Q&A on the recent release.

► Self-Hosting Next.js – The ultimate guide to deploying Next.js on a $4 VPS. It walks you through using and configuring key Next.js features like image optimization, caching & ISR, streaming, middleware, and server components.

Arcjet - security as code for Next.js – Implement bot protection, rate limiting, email validation, PII detection, and defense against common attacks.

The True Nature of useActionState – Great article for understanding useActionState. It clearly explains handling async operations, applying optimistic updates with useOptimistic, and effectively managing errors

How Do Server Actions Work in Next.js? – Explains the magic behind Server Actions in a short and simple to understand way

React Folder Structure in 5 Steps [2024] – This guide takes you through project structures, from small to large-scale projects.

React on the server is not PHP – A critique of the the claim that “React has become the new PHP”

More:

• Next.js foot guns – Over-reliance on Client Side State
• Code based routing in Next.js

Better Auth – This authentication library seemed to appear out of nowhere, but even though it's still in beta, it already feels incredibly polished and is evolving super fast. It comes with several plugins and supports credential-based auth. Definitely worth checking out!

KaibanJS – A JavaScript framework for building and managing multi-agent systems with a Kanban-inspired approach. Learn how to integrate with Next.js

Draft PR: Introduce experimental Request Interceptors – Seems like Next.js is getting route-level middlewares, referred to as Request Interceptors. You can define them in an interceptor.ts file and place them anywhere in the app directory. They’re also compatible with the Node.js runtime and support Server Actions.

Announcing Deno 2 – 4 years after its initial launch, Deno has released version 2, and it's better than ever. With backwards compatibility with Node.js and NPM, you can now use it with frameworks like Next.js. Plus, there are a bunch of other improvements, including a new package manager, workspace support, and a stable standard library.

More:

• Lucia Auth: Future plans – Lucia will be deprecated and continue as an authentication guide
• NextStep – Lightweight onboarding library for Next.js
• Server Functions – Server Actions are being renamed to reflect that they can be used for multiple purposes

Serverless servers – Vercel is introducing in-function concurrency to Vercel Functions. Put simply, this allows a single serverless function to handle multiple requests simultaneously, much like a traditional Node.js server, meaning you'll save on costs.

Serverless servers and the challenge of new React architecture – Great article that breaks down the mechanics behind Vercel's serverless servers and the role React Server Components play in it

Why Gumroad Didn't Choose htmx – The founder of Gumroad explains why they’re opting for Next.js instead of htmx or Ruby on Rails.

Fixing serverless with a $5 VPS – James explains how to overcome the limitations of serverless architectures and achieve the best of both worlds by using servers when needed

More:

• The Cost Structure of using Serverless Functions on Vercel
• 𝕏 The Next.js documentation website now includes a version selector