A Next.js Performance Checklist We Use in Production
From image strategy to route-level rendering decisions, this checklist helps keep pages fast and reliable.

Alex Rivera
Principal Fullstack Engineer

1. Leverage Server Components First
Keep client bundles minimal by rendering static sections on the server. Reserve "use client" strictly for leaves of the component tree that need browser events, state, or hooks.
2. Next.js Image Optimization
Always specify sizes on next/image components using fill. Without responsive sizes, the browser downloads desktop-resolution assets on mobile viewports:
<Image
src="/hero.png"
alt="Hero"
fill
sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 50vw"
priority
/>
3. Tagged Cache & On-Demand Revalidation
Avoid arbitrary time-based revalidation when data updates unpredictably. Tag your backend queries with next: { tags: ['kpis', 'projects'] } and purge them precisely when modifications occur using revalidateTag().
