Next.js in 2026: The Architecture We Use for Every Client Build
Server components, edge rendering, ISR and a thin API layer — the exact architecture behind our fastest client sites, and why we standardised on it.
Why we standardised
After 60+ production builds, we stopped debating stacks. Next.js App Router with React Server Components gives us the best defaults for performance, SEO and developer velocity — and the exceptions are rare enough to handle case-by-case.
The reference architecture
Rendering strategy
- Marketing pages — static with ISR (60s revalidate). Instant loads, always fresh.
- Dynamic dashboards — server components with streaming and suspense boundaries.
- Personalised fragments — client components hydrated inside server shells.
Data layer
Server components call the database directly through a thin repository layer. API routes exist only for mutations and third-party webhooks. This removes an entire class of loading-state bugs.
Performance budget
LCP < 1.8s (p75, mobile)
INP < 200ms
CLS < 0.05
JS < 170KB first loadWe fail builds that break the budget. Guardrails beat heroics.
What we deliberately avoid
Client-side data fetching for first paint, barrel files that break tree-shaking, and premature micro-frontends. Boring choices, fast sites.
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