Next.js 16 brings Turbopack default, new caching APIs, and faster builds
Next.js 16 launched in October 2025, followed by three minor updates through June 2026, introducing several significant changes for web developers. Turbopack, a Rust-based bundler, replaced Webpack as the stable default for both development and production builds, requiring no manual configuration on upgrade. The release also introduced a 'use cache' directive that makes caching boundaries explicit in code, along with two new Server Action APIs — updateTag() and refresh() — for more precise cache and data management. Build performance improved through persistent disk caching of compiler artifacts, reducing cold-start times on large projects, while a Rust port of the React Compiler arrived as an experimental feature in version 16.3. Routing and prefetching were also optimised, with layout deduplication and incremental prefetching significantly reducing network transfer overhead during page navigation.
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