Scaling Next.js Applications for High Traffic

Understanding Rendering Strategies

Next.js offers a hybrid rendering approach that is key to scaling. Knowing when to use Server-Side Rendering (SSR), Static Site Generation (SSG), or Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) can make or break your application's performance under load.

Edge Middleware

By moving logic to the edge, close to the user, you can significantly reduce latency. Middleware allows you to handle authentication, geolocation, and routing decisions before the request even hits your origin server.

export function middleware(request) {
  const country = request.geo.country?.toLowerCase() || 'us';
  return NextResponse.rewrite(new URL('/' + country, request.url));
}

Optimizing Images and Fonts

Core Web Vitals are crucial for both SEO and User Experience. Leveraging the native next/image and next/font components ensures that assets are loaded efficiently, preventing layout shifts and reducing First Contentful Paint (FCP) times.