June 2022 Summaries

Vercel Edge Middleware is a fast and reliable way to rewrite and redirect requests in Next.js applications, allowing developers to define routing rules like rewrites, redirects, and headers with code, rather than lengthy configuration files. With the release of Next.js 12.2, Vercel Edge Middleware for Next.js is now generally available, and Edge Middleware is also available for all frameworks, including public beta along with other edge-first tools. Customers are using Edge Middleware to personalize content at the edge through custom experimentation, A/B testing, feature flags, and localization based on geolocation headers, resulting in better performance and a great user experience. The API for Middleware is intuitive, allowing developers to build features without worrying about framework-specific details, and Vercel includes this functionality for all customers.

The Edge Runtime is a new library designed to help framework authors adopt edge computing and provide open-source tooling built on web standards. It's designed to be integrated into frameworks like Next.js and not for usage in application code, aiming to enable running code at the edge to democratize web performance. The runtime provides tools for framework authors to test code in edge environments, enabling any framework author to support the edge with web APIs and standards defined by WinterCG. With the release of Edge Runtime, Vercel aims to focus on open standards, not introduce new APIs, and supports API interoperability along with partners like Cloudflare and Shopify. The goal is to enable developers to build a future of an open, interoperable, edge-first Web.

Guillermo Rauch and Sahir Azam announced a new integration between Vercel and MongoDB at MongoDB World, enabling developers to create at the moment of inspiration with fullstack serverless technology. The integration builds on Vercel's core values of easy, scalable, and fast development, making it an ideal choice for frontend development with Next.js. With Vercel, developers can easily deploy and scale their applications, while also ensuring performance through real-time observability and optimization. The integration allows developers to go from idea to global application in seconds, without needing extensive technical knowledge. By combining the strengths of MongoDB's data platform and Vercel's serverless infrastructure, developers can unlock the full potential of fullstack serverless technology.