JavaScript: Netlify offers new Next.js runtime with edge capabilities

The US company Netlify, provider of middleware and plugins in the JavaScript ecosystem, has presented a new runtime for the JavaScript framework Next.js. The runtime allows Next.js to operate in a modern edge network. In addition to the runtime environment, developers can also download the @netlify/next package, which is intended to add new options to the existing Next.js middleware.

According to the release notification, the package contains Next.js Advanced Middleware that supports HTML overwriting. Website data can be converted with it and it should give developers full access to the response body. This allows teams to change content “on the fly without unnecessary client-side JavaScript” or complicated SSR (server-side rendering) strategies, the blog post states.

Edit use cases in a personalized way

The Next.js framework is particularly significant among JavaScript developers because of its server-side rendering (SSR) capability. The current release should therefore address the core interests of the developer community and simplify complex processes somewhat. On the other hand, Next.js and providers of suitable middleware could simply be under pressure to innovate, because the large frameworks such as Vue, React and Angular now also master the SSR. In addition to the Netlify runtime, other basic runtimes can be used, such as Node, Deno and, more recently, Bun. Netlify has many years of experience in offering runtimes.

Netlify (@netlify/next) middleware package gives runtime users access to modify response and request headers on the edge. With full access to the response body and other features, use cases can be edited in a personalized way, so that Netlify customers can deploy their applications relatively easily and run Next.js with all core functions without having to mess with the configuration. Among other things, different content can be displayed to site visitors depending on where they are when they visit the site. Authentication via an app is possible without sending private keys in the request, and the cookies for analysis and reporting can be modified.

Client and server side rendering with some edge

With these processes, there is no need to manually create anything, redirect to alternate web addresses, or run client-side scripts that can change content after pages load. With the release, the provider is also promoting its Netlify platform, which, in addition to the Advanced Middleware, has around thirty other features to offer, including an API mesh with GraphQL for connecting services, functions for detailed management of release management such as locking and Prioritize builds and serverless functions, background functions and schedulable processes.

“It’s exciting to see how the JavaScript world swings from one extreme to the other,” comments an expert from the JavaScript environment on the current release. First everything was rendered on the client side for years, then server-side rendering became all the hype. The present release apparently mixes both and also adds edge computing – this development needs to be observed.

Documentation, live demo and getting started

If you are interested in details, you can view the blog entry at Netlify. More about the runtime environment can be found in the Netlify documentation. Anyone who wants to test the new middleware can find a tutorial with a live demo and step-by-step instructions on the provider’s website.