Summary

Next.js 6 (2018-05-16) is a production-ready release focused on easier static exports, a new app-level extension point, modernized JS tooling, and a dedicated docs/home site at nextjs.org. Key developer-facing changes include automatic route-map generation for static exports (no default next.config.js edits), a new top-level component _app.js for page transitions/error boundaries and easier global integrations (Apollo/Redux), Babel 7 with JSX fragment syntax and nested .babelrc support, and first-class TypeScript support via @zeit/next-typescript. The new site consolidates docs, the Learn tutorial, and a showcase.

Run static export:

• next build then next export

Key Points

• Zero-configuration static export: route map auto-generated from pages/, so simple apps rarely need next.config.js.
• New _app.js top-level component: wrap pages, implement client-side page transitions, add global providers (Redux/Apollo), and define error boundaries with componentDidCatch.
• Pre-rendering modes clarified: server rendering (per-request) and static rendering (output files served without server code).
• Babel 7 upgrade: supports JSX fragment syntax (<>...</>) and enables built-in TypeScript transforms; nested .babelrc files are supported per-directory.
• TypeScript: use @zeit/next-typescript or the example repo for easy integration.
• nextjs.org: unified docs at /docs, integrated /learn tutorial, and a /showcase of sites built with Next.js.

Practical notes for engineers

• For static sites: check pages/ layout and run next build && next export before deploying.
• To add global providers or page transitions, create _app.js at the project root (replaces many _document.js use-cases for runtime behavior).
• If using TypeScript, add @zeit/next-typescript and verify Babel config; scoped .babelrc works for nested directories.