What's New in Next.js 14? Exploring the Upgrades in Next.js 13 and 14

Next.js is a popular React framework that makes it easy to build fast and dynamic web applications. It is known for its server-side rendering (SSR), static site generation (SSG), and incremental static regeneration (ISR) capabilities.

Release Date of both

Next.js 13 and Next.js 14 are two different versions of the Next.js web development framework. Next.js 13 came out in September 2022, while Next.js 14 was released in October 2023.

First, we should talk about new features on nextJs 14 which are:

• Partial Prerendering (general release): Partial Prerendering is now generally available.
• Improved data fetching: Next.js 14 now fetches data in layouts while avoiding waterfalls, which can improve the performance of your pages.
• Support for React 18 features: Next.js 14 supports all of the new features in React 18, such as streaming, transitions, and Suspense.
• Next.js Learn (improved): Next.js Learn has been improved with new content and interactive exercises.

For those who don't know about new features of nextJs 13 I am writing the features (These are compulsory to read if you want to understand the difference between NextJs 13 and NextJs 14.)

New features in Next.js 13:

• App directory (beta): The app directory is a new way to organize your Next.js application. It includes features such as layouts, React Server Components (RSC), and streaming.
• TurboPack (alpha): Turbopack is a new Rust-based compiler that is designed to be faster and more reliable than the previous compiler.
• Server Actions (alpha): Server Actions are a new way to mutate data on the server without any client JavaScript.
• Partial Prerendering (preview): Partial Prerendering allows you to prerender only the parts of your page that are most likely to be visited first. This can improve the performance of your application for first-time visitors.
• Next.js Learn (new): Next.js Learn is a new interactive course that teaches you the basics of Next.js.

Now finally differences between Next.js 13 and Next.js 14:

• TurboPack: Turbopack is in beta in Next.js 13 and stable in Next.js 14.
• Server Actions: Server Actions are in alpha in Next.js 13 and stable in Next.js 14.
• Partial Prerendering: Partial Prerendering is in preview in Next.js 13 and generally available in Next.js 14.
• Faster server startup and code updates: Next.js 14 starts up your server 53% faster than Next.js 13, and code updates are 94% faster.

Conclusion:

Overall, Next.js 14 is a significant upgrade over Next.js 13, with a number of new features and improvements that can make your applications faster, more reliable, and easier to develop.

If you are starting a new Next.js application, I recommend using Next.js 14. It has all of the features of Next.js 13, plus the latest stability and performance improvements.