βš›οΈ This Week In React #288: Next.js, React Compiler, use(), Astryx, TanStack Start, Takumi, nuqs | Expo, VisionCamera, Windows, Rollipop, LegendList, Nitro, AI, Maps | Node.js, pnpm, TS, Prettier, Deno, Webpack, Flow


β€‹πŸŒ Read Online ​

Hi everyone, Seb and Jan here πŸ‘‹!

This week, the Next.js 16.3 preview makes the headlines, while the React Compiler remains a hot topic.

On the React Native side, Expo unexpectedly shipped a new SDK.

Let's dive in!

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βš›οΈ React

​Next.js 16.3 Preview - Instant Navigations​

Next.js 16.3 is now in preview and will be stabilized in the coming weeks. This sneak peek focuses on a new opt-in feature called Instant Navigations, improving on top of Cache Components. This addresses the loudest criticism of the App Router: server-driven navigations feel like clicking a website, not an app.

With this new feature, you will have to make a very explicit choice whenever you await some data on the server, nicely presented in an Instant Insights dev panel to surface slow navigations:

  • Stream with
  • Cache with ’use cache’
  • Block with export const instant = false;

There’s more:

  • Playwright instant() test helper - Assert what must be instantly visible after a link click.
  • Partial Prefetching - Instead of prefetching a page per link in the viewport, Next.js will now prefetch a reusable shell per route. You can still prefetch links more aggressively (opt-in).

Also related:

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πŸ“± React-Native

​Expo SDK 57​

It feels like Expo SDK 56 just got released, and we’re already on SDK 57, even skipping the beta phase!?

Since RN 0.86 got released with no breaking changes, the Expo team decided to cut the new release sooner than usual. It’s a test of a new release cadence that will follow RN releases more closely. React Native’s move towards stability should make it easier to offer the latest changes almost immediately. Why not do it as a part of the SDK 56 update, then? There are still many changes, and it’s better to make the upgrade intentional to avoid unexpected errors.

RN 0.86 features are now available in Expo: first-class edge-to-edge support on Android, light/dark mode emulation in React Native DevTools, and rendering, layout, and animation fixes. Expo 57 also comes with a list of various Expo-related improvements.

πŸ”€ Other

🀭 Fun

See ya! πŸ‘‹

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