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Bytes #294, published June 3, 2024, paired a reported Vercel revenue figure with a change to Next.js caching defaults: the “homophone” was cashing versus caching. The Next.js item concerned a release candidate, not a final release. Next.js 15 became stable on October 21, 2024, and its key point was narrower than “Next.js stopped caching”: several behaviors that had been cached by default became uncached by default, while opt-in caching remained available.
What was the Vercel “homophone”?
The June 3, 2024 issue of Bytes #294 connected two subjects through a wordplay: “cashing” referred to money, while “caching” referred to Next.js behavior. The newsletter reported that Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch disclosed $100 million in annual revenue during a conference keynote. That is the figure and framing reported by Bytes in 2024, not a current revenue metric; the issue does not give a more precise measurement date or link to a Vercel financial statement.
The technical half was an announcement about Next.js 15’s release candidate. On May 23, 2024, the Next.js team said it would change caching defaults for server-side fetch requests, GET Route Handlers, and client Router Cache page segments. The announcement described the change as moving those behaviors from cached by default to uncached by default. The Next.js 15 RC announcement also explained that developers could opt into caching.
Which Next.js caching defaults changed?
The word “cache” covers separate mechanisms in Next.js. The change did not eliminate caching across the framework; it altered defaults for particular operations and page segments. The version-specific Next.js 15 caching guide distinguishes the Data Cache, Full Route Cache, and Router Cache.
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| Behavior | Next.js 15 default | How to opt into caching |
|---|---|---|
Server-side fetch requests |
Uncached by default | Set cache: 'force-cache' on an individual request, or use fetchCache = 'default-cache' for a layout or page. |
GET Route Handlers |
Uncached by default | Use a static route configuration to opt into caching. |
| Client Router Cache page segments | Not cached by default | Layouts and loading states are still reused; back and forward navigation can restore previously visited pages. |
The release-candidate announcement also described dynamic = 'force-static' as a way to opt a route into static behavior. These settings apply at different scopes, so choose one based on whether the intended behavior belongs to a request, a route, or a layout/page.
What does “uncached by default” mean in practice?
For data requests
A server-side fetch that previously benefited from an implicit cache should no longer be assumed to do so. If a request’s result can be reused safely and that is the desired behavior, mark the request with cache: 'force-cache' or configure the relevant layout or page with fetchCache = 'default-cache'. This makes the caching choice explicit rather than relying on the former default.
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For Route Handlers
A GET Route Handler is not automatically cached under the new default. If it should behave as a static, cacheable route, opt in with the static route configuration described in the Next.js 15 upgrade guide. Do not infer that every handler or every route is uncached in every respect: the stated change concerns the default for GET handlers.
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Next.js 15 no longer caches page segments in the client Router Cache by default. That does not mean the Router Cache is gone: layouts and loading states are reused, and browser back/forward navigation can restore pages a visitor has already seen. This is why “client navigations are no longer cached,” the shorthand used by Bytes, needs the more precise description of which Router Cache behavior changed.
Why did Next.js change the defaults?
The Next.js team said it reconsidered its caching heuristics after feedback, including issues involving third-party libraries that use fetch. The June newsletter characterized the earlier App Router defaults as opinionated and described friction in some cases. The practical lesson is not that caching is undesirable, but that an implicit default can produce behavior an application or dependency did not expect. Next.js 15 made these particular choices opt-in, so developers can state where caching is wanted.
How to read the story today
Bytes #294 is an archival issue about the May 2024 release-candidate announcement. Its description is useful historical context, but the release candidate was not the final version: Next.js 15 became stable on October 21, 2024. For implementation decisions, use documentation for the version your project runs, and identify the relevant cache layer before changing configuration. “Next.js caching” is not one switch, and the defaults discussed here do not establish the behavior of every cache or every later release.
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