Mastering Next.js 15: The Future of Partial Prerendering

Next.js 15 dropped some really cool features, but Partial Prerendering (PPR) is the one I'm most excited about. For the longest time, we've had to pick a side: do we go Static (SSG) for raw speed, or Server-Side (SSR) for up-to-date data? PPR finally lets us do both on the same page.

What is Partial Prerendering? Think of it as building a static shell for your website—like the header, footer, and layout—that loads instantly. Then, you punch "holes" in that shell where the dynamic stuff goes, like a user profile or a shopping cart. These holes get filled in as soon as the data is ready. The result? Your users see the page immediately, and the interactive parts pop in a moment later.

How it works under the hood It relies on React Suspense. You wrap the dynamic parts in a Suspense boundary. Next.js is smart enough to build everything *outside* that boundary at build time (making it super fast), while the stuff *inside* runs on the server when a request comes in.

Why should you care? It's all about that initial load time. If your static shell loads instantly, your site feels fast, even if the database query for the user's cart takes a second. It's a huge win for perceived performance.

Implementing PPR in your project Right now, you need to enable it in your next.config.js. It's especially great for things like e-commerce, where your product descriptions don't change often (static), but the inventory levels do (dynamic).

I really think this is where the web is heading—hybrid rendering that gives us the best of both worlds without the complex hacks we used to do.