Turbopack

What Turbopack is

Turbopack is an incremental JavaScript and TypeScript bundler written in Rust and built into Next.js. It supports local development with both the Pages Router and App Router, and is the default bundler in Next.js for basic use without configuration. It spreads work across CPU cores, caches results at the function level, and saves them to disk between runs. Lazy bundling limits compilation to what the development server requests, which can reduce initial compile time and memory use.

Turbopack supports JavaScript, TypeScript, ECMAScript, CommonJS, ESM, and Babel configuration detection in Next.js 16. Its framework support includes JSX, Fast Refresh, and React Server Components for the Next.js App Router. Styling options include global CSS, CSS Modules, CSS nesting, PostCSS, and Sass/SCSS; custom Sass functions are unsupported. It also handles static image and font imports, JSON, TypeScript path aliases, manual aliases, and custom extensions. Native bindings are available for macOS, Windows, and Linux on x64 and ARM64, with glibc and musl supported on Linux. Turbopack is included in Next.js at no separate stated price. It does not perform TypeScript type checking, and webpack plugins are unsupported, though webpack loaders are supported.

Who it suits

Turbopack suits developers building with Next.js who want an incremental bundler for local development across the Pages Router or App Router. It is a fit when the supported JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, and asset workflows meet the project's needs and separate type checking is handled elsewhere.

Limits

Turbopack is included in Next.js with no separate price stated. It does not perform TypeScript type checking, and webpack plugins and custom Sass functions are unsupported.

Getting started

1. Open the Turbopack documentation on the Next.js website.
2. Use Turbopack as the default bundler in Next.js for basic use without configuration.
3. Use it with the Pages Router or App Router for local development.
4. Run tsc --watch or use an IDE for TypeScript checks.
5. Attach a generated Turbopack trace file when filing a GitHub issue about performance or memory issues.

Verdict

Choose Turbopack for local development in Next.js when its supported languages, framework features, and styling options fit your project. Look elsewhere or plan additional tooling if you need webpack plugins or want the bundler itself to perform TypeScript type checking.