LowFile-scopeJavaScript / TypeScript Plug & play

Prefer next/link for internal navigation

Use <Link> from 'next/link' for internal routes; reserve <a> only for external URLs or downloadable assets.

Why this matters

Enables client-side navigation, controlled prefetch, and better UX.

Side-by-side examples engineers can pattern-match during review.

Avoid

<a href="/dashboard">Go</a>

Prefer

import Link from 'next/link'
export function Nav(){ return <Link href="/dashboard" prefetch>Dashboard</Link> }

Bad

<a href="/settings">Settings</a>

Good

<Link href="/settings">Settings</Link>

From the same buckets as this rule.

High
Keep 'use client' at the leaf: default to Server Components
Prefer Server Components for pages/layouts and move interactivity to small leaf Client Components. Only add 'use client' where browser APIs or event handlers are strictly necessary.
stack-nextjsstack-react+2
High
Make fetch caching explicit in Server Components
For dynamic data use { cache: 'no-store' } or file-level dynamic = 'force-dynamic'. For ISR use { next: { revalidate: N, tags: [...] } }.
stack-nextjsstack-react+2
High
Middleware only for light auth/rewrites
Keep middleware fast and side-effect free (no DB writes). Narrow the matcher and skip static assets. Use Route Handlers for heavy logic.
stack-nextjsstack-react+2