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Next.js 13+ introduced the App Router, but it is a completely different paradigm from the old Pages Router. layout/page/loading only work in App Router. If you're learning from old tutorials (pre-2022), they likely cover Pages Router.
Server Actions run on the server but don't go through API routes — error logs are unintuitive and console.log doesn't appear in the browser. For complex form validation, consider react-hook-form + API routes instead of Server Actions.
Next.js deploys on Vercel with zero config, but on other platforms (Cloudflare Pages, Netlify) extra adaptation is needed. Features like ISR, Middleware, and Image Optimization deeply depend on Vercel infrastructure. If you don't want to be locked into Vercel, test deployment on your target platform early in the project.
Server Components reduce bundles but developers often inadvertently import large component libraries (e.g., entire Ant Design) into layouts, causing 500KB+ first-screen loads. Use @next/bundle-analyzer for regular checks.
Next.js 15 features like Turbopack and Partial Prerendering occasionally have edge cases in production. For OPC products that pay the bills, use the latest stable version but avoid canary versions and freshly released features. Wait 1-2 months for community validation before upgrading.
| Next.js 15 Release | Blog | - |
