Next.js Community Next.js 16 App Router Best Practices

Comprehensive performance optimization guide for Next.js 16 App Router applications, maintained by the Next.js Community. Contains 42 rules across 8 categories, prioritized by impact to guide automated refactoring and code generation. Two rules cover Next.js 16.3 preview features (Instant Navigations, Partial Prefetching), gated behind cacheComponents and partialPrefetching.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Writing new Next.js 16 App Router code
• Configuring caching strategies with 'use cache' directive
• Implementing server components and data fetching
• Setting up routing with parallel and intercepting routes
• Creating server actions for form handling and mutations

Rule Categories by Priority