After shipping more than a dozen Next.js 15 App Router projects in production, we have a set of patterns that work and a list of pitfalls that cost real days. Here is the short version.
Understand the caching model first
The App Router caches aggressively across four layers. Most confusing bugs trace back to a misunderstanding of when data is cached and how to opt out. Learn the caching model before you write a line of data-fetching code.
Server components change how you fetch
Fetch data where it is rendered, keep client components small, and pass serialisable props down. Fighting the server-first model leads to hydration errors and duplicated logic.
Patterns we standardised
- A shared data-access layer so caching rules live in one place.
- Strict boundaries between server and client components.
- A boilerplate that saves roughly two days of setup per project.
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