Next.js 16 Caching with 'use cache' Directive

Paradigm Shift: Dynamic by Default

For understanding how caching interacts with Server Components and their rendering lifecycle, use the REACT-COMPONENTS-server-components skill from the react-19 plugin.

Next.js 16 introduces a fundamental change in how caching works:

Next.js 15 and Earlier:

• Everything cached by default
• Opt-out with dynamic = 'force-dynamic', no-store, or revalidate
• Complex mental model with surprising behaviors

Next.js 16:

• Everything dynamic by default
• Opt-in to caching with 'use cache' directive
• Explicit and predictable caching behavior

This is the most significant paradigm shift in Next.js 16 and affects every application.

The 'use cache' Directive

The 'use cache' directive is a string that tells Next.js to cache the output of a file, component, or function.

File-Level Caching

Cache an entire route or layout:

'use cache'

export default async function ProductsPage() {
  const products = await db.query.products.findMany()
  return <ProductList products={products} />
}

Component-Level Caching

Cache a specific component:

async function ProductList() {
  'use cache'

  const products = await db.query.products.findMany()
  return (
    <div>
      {products.map(p => <ProductCard key={p.id} product={p} />)}
    </div>
  )
}

Function-Level Caching

Cache the result of a function:

async function getProducts() {
  'use cache'
  return db.query.products.findMany()
}

export default async function ProductsPage() {
  const products = await getProducts()
  return <ProductList products={products} />
}

When to Use 'use cache'

Use the 'use cache' directive when:

1. Data Changes Infrequently: Product catalogs, blog posts, documentation
2. Expensive Operations: Complex database queries, external API calls, computations
3. High Traffic Pages: Landing pages, marketing pages, public content
4. Shared Data: Data used across multiple routes or components

async function getBlogPosts() {
  'use cache'
  return db.query.posts.findMany({
    where: { published: true },
    orderBy: { publishedAt: 'desc' }
  })
}

When NOT to Use 'use cache'

Do NOT use 'use cache' when:

1. User-Specific Data: User profiles, personalized content, authentication state
2. Real-Time Data: Live updates, activity feeds, chat messages
3. Dynamic Parameters: Content that varies by user, session, or request
4. Write Operations: Forms, mutations, actions

export default async function UserDashboard() {
  const session = await auth()
  const user = await db.query.users.findFirst({
    where: { id: session.userId }
  })

  return <Dashboard user={user} />
}

Cache Configuration

Configure cache behavior with the cacheLife and cacheTag options:

Using cacheLife

Specify how long to cache:

'use cache'
export const cacheLife = 'hours'

export default async function NewsPage() {
  const articles = await fetchNews()
  return <ArticleList articles={articles} />
}

Available presets:

• 'seconds': 1 second (real-time-ish)
• 'minutes': 5 minutes (frequent updates)
• 'hours': 1 hour (moderate updates)
• 'days': 1 day (infrequent updates)
• 'weeks': 1 week (rarely changes)
• 'max': 1 year (effectively static)

Custom Cache Durations

Define custom cache profiles:

'use cache'
export const cacheLife = {
  stale: 60,
  revalidate: 300,
  expire: 3600
}

• stale: Serve cached data for this many seconds
• revalidate: Revalidate in background after this many seconds
• expire: Hard expiration after this many seconds

Using cacheTag

Tag caches for on-demand revalidation:

'use cache'
export const cacheTag = 'products'

async function getProducts() {
  return db.query.products.findMany()
}

Then revalidate by tag:

'use server'

import { revalidateTag } from 'next/cache'

export async function updateProduct(id: string, data: ProductInput) {
  await db.update(products).set(data).where(eq(products.id, id))
  revalidateTag('products')
}

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

1. Don't Use unstable_cache

Next.js 15's unstable_cache is replaced by 'use cache':

import { unstable_cache } from 'next/cache'

const getProducts = unstable_cache(
  async () => {
    return db.query.products.findMany()
  },
  ['products'],
  { revalidate: 3600 }
)

async function getProducts() {
  'use cache'
  return db.query.products.findMany()
}

2. Don't Export revalidate from Components

Next.js 15's route segment config doesn't work with Cache Components:

export const revalidate = 3600

export default async function Page() {
  const data = await fetch('...')
  return <div>{data}</div>
}

'use cache'
export const cacheLife = 'hours'

export default async function Page() {
  const data = await fetch('...')
  return <div>{data}</div>
}

3. Don't Cache User-Specific Content

'use cache'

export default async function Dashboard() {
  const session = await auth()
  const userData = await getUserData(session.userId)
  return <UserDashboard data={userData} />
}

export default async function Dashboard() {
  const session = await auth()
  const userData = await getUserData(session.userId)
  return <UserDashboard data={userData} />
}

4. Don't Overuse File-Level Caching

'use cache'

export default async function Page() {
  const session = await auth()
  const products = await getProducts()

  return (
    <div>
      <UserGreeting user={session.user} />
      <ProductList products={products} />
    </div>
  )
}

async function CachedProductList() {
  'use cache'
  const products = await getProducts()
  return <ProductList products={products} />
}

export default async function Page() {
  const session = await auth()

  return (
    <div>
      <UserGreeting user={session.user} />
      <CachedProductList />
    </div>
  )
}

Migration from Next.js 15

Remove fetch Cache Options

const data = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data', {
  cache: 'force-cache',
  next: { revalidate: 3600 }
})

async function getData() {
  'use cache'
  return fetch('https://api.example.com/data')
}

const data = await getData()

Replace Route Segment Config

export const revalidate = 3600
export const dynamic = 'force-static'

export default async function Page() {
  return <div>...</div>
}

'use cache'
export const cacheLife = 'hours'

export default async function Page() {
  return <div>...</div>
}

Update unstable_cache Usage

import { unstable_cache } from 'next/cache'

const getCachedPosts = unstable_cache(
  async () => db.query.posts.findMany(),
  ['posts'],
  { revalidate: 300 }
)

async function getPosts() {
  'use cache'
  return db.query.posts.findMany()
}

Best Practices

1. Start Uncached: Begin with dynamic behavior, add caching only where needed
2. Cache at the Right Level: Use function-level caching for shared data, component-level for UI chunks
3. Use Cache Tags: Enable on-demand revalidation for data that changes on specific events
4. Monitor Cache Effectiveness: Use Next.js analytics to see cache hit rates
5. Test Cache Behavior: Verify caching works as expected in production mode

Common Patterns

Cached Data Fetching Layer

async function getProduct(id: string) {
  'use cache'
  return db.query.products.findFirst({
    where: eq(products.id, id)
  })
}

async function getProducts() {
  'use cache'
  return db.query.products.findMany()
}

Cached Component with Dynamic Parent

async function StaticProductGrid() {
  'use cache'
  const products = await getProducts()
  return <ProductGrid products={products} />
}

export default async function Page() {
  const session = await auth()

  return (
    <div>
      <UserNav user={session?.user} />
      <StaticProductGrid />
    </div>
  )
}

Tagged Cache for Mutations

'use cache'
export const cacheTag = 'inventory'

async function getInventory() {
  return db.query.inventory.findMany()
}

'use server'

import { revalidateTag } from 'next/cache'

export async function updateInventory(data: InventoryUpdate) {
  await db.update(inventory).set(data)
  revalidateTag('inventory')
}

Reference

For comprehensive examples and patterns, see:

• cache-examples.md - Detailed examples for all caching scenarios