What’s New in Next.js 16.1

Next.js 16.1, bringing performance gains and workflow improvements focused on speed, stability, and developer experience.

Turbopack File System Caching (Stable)

Now enabled by default in next dev, Turbopack caches compiler artifacts to disk—delivering up to 14× faster route compilation when restarting dev servers, especially for large projects.

Next.js Bundle Analyzer (Experimental)

A new interactive bundle analyzer helps you:

1. Inspect client & server bundles
2. Trace full import chains
3. Identify large or unnecessary dependencies
4. Improve Core Web Vitals and cold start performance

Run it with:

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npx next experimental-analyze

Easier Debugging

You can now debug your app directly with:

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npx next dev --inspect

Smarter Dependency Handling

Turbopack now correctly externalizes transitive dependencies using serverExternalPackages—no more manual fixes or dependency leaks.

Additional Improvements

1. ~20MB smaller Next.js installs
2. New next upgrade command for smoother updates
3. Improved async import bundling
4. Better source map compatibility
5. More detailed build and routing diagnostics

Smarter Dependency Handling

Turbopack now correctly externalizes transitive dependencies using serverExternalPackages—no more manual fixes or dependency leaks.

Upgrade Today

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# Use the automated upgrade CLI
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npx @next/codemod@canary upgrade latest
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# ...or upgrade manually
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npm install next@latest react@latest react-dom@latest
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# ...or start a new project
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npx create-next-app@latest