next.js: A Development History
A factual reconstruction of next.js's evolution, drawn from 10 years of commits, 100 releases and 98 contributors.
The Beginning
2016 · first commit
In 2016, vercel published the first commit to next.js, a JavaScript project. It set out to the React Framework.
From the outset the repository was written chiefly in JavaScript, TypeScript and Rust. What began as a single initiative would, over the next 10 years, accumulate 142.8k stars and draw 98 contributors into its orbit.
Building Foundations
Structure and the first releases
The early period was about foundations. Version v16.3.0-canary.97 marked the first tagged release — the moment the project declared itself ready to be relied upon.
ijjk authored the largest share of this groundwork, shaping an architecture the project still rests on. In all, 100 releases would follow, arriving on average every 1 days.
Across 100 tagged releases, the project crossed its 1.0 milestone (now v16.4.0-canary.51), declaring a stable interface.
Rapid Growth
Acceleration
Momentum built. Activity peaked around Sep '26, among the busiest stretches on record. Commits arrived at roughly 175 per week as the project's reach widened to 142.8k stars.
sokra drove much of the new functionality, while timneutkens kept regressions in check. On the project's DNA it scored 90 for innovation and 91 for growth.
The cadence itself was cooling, with 11% of recent commits landing on weekends — a signature of how the work was paced.
Community Expansion
98 contributors
As next.js grew, so did the circle around it. 98 contributors took part, with the top 8 authoring more than half of all commits, and 33.3k forks branching into experiments and downstream work.
huozhi helped connect the project to its wider audience. vercel-release-bot kept the machinery running — dependencies current, the pipeline green. Community strength registered at 80 in its DNA.
Of the pull requests it received, 42% were ultimately merged, typically within 34 hours — a measure of how readily outside work was absorbed.
Present Day
Maturity
Today next.js sits in its Maturity phase. A well-established project: broadly adopted, steadily released, and dependable. Its most recent activity was today.
The latest tagged release is v16.4.0-canary.51. After 10 years, next.js stands at 142.8k stars and 98 contributors, its history still being written.
