A month ago, I released a Case Study on How I Built my Custom Next.js Course Platform

A year ago, a few actions took 16 seconds (painful 😅)
So I documented every improvement I made step by step⚡

Today, those optimizations are one of the most-loved parts of the platform

→ nextjscourse.dev

Made some updates to my Custom Course Platform built on Next.js:

I've added several gamification features to boost retention:
→ Streaks
→ Daily learning progress tracking
→ Levels to earn a certificate

Overall, the platform is now more engaging for students!

Check it out at nextjscourse.dev

I sat down with @danabra.mov, one of the core React team members since the early days

We talked about,
✔️ React Server Components and Modern React
✔️ the Next.js App Router
✔️ Burnout and how the React community has evolved - both technically & personally

I learned a lot & you will too

🎥 link below

React 19.2 useEffectEvent ✨

Ever add a handler inside an effect, put it in the dependency array & suddenly… re-renders forever?

That’s usually because your handler changes identity every render so the effect keeps tearing down & setting up again

useEffectEvent fixes this! 💪

Last week’s Snack: Underrated Caching Trick ⚡🍿

🚀 Cache Components in Next.js 16
🎨 Tailwind child selectors @DavidKPiano
🔥 @tan_stack Start v1 Release Candidate
⚡ ai-sdk-zustand → state mgmt + debugging for AI SDK @pontusab

One email. All the latest news + learn something new!

Stop Refetching the Same Data 🍿

Why make your users wait for the same work again and again? That’s where "use cache" comes in.

Mark a route, component, or function as cacheable → repeat work is skipped, your app feels faster ⚡

Watch your TTFB drop with use-cache!

These micro interactions are beautiful✨

Why bother with modals for confirmation when you can use inline real estate?

Stop Freezing Your UI 🍿

Imagine you go to a restaurant 👩‍🍳 a server comes to take your order but until your food is ready, you're frozen

That's the reality in your browser 😅

If you press a button, your entire UI freezes, unless you fix this, you won't be able to do anything.

Enter useTransition 👇

Last week’s Snack: Lazy Load Heavy Components ⚡🍿

🚀 Run heavy tasks in the background
📚 @danabra.mov new Learn for JS Developers
🎨 Build gradients on the fly @nerdy.dev
🧠 Deriving Client State from Server State by @tkdodo.eu

One email. All the latest frontend + AI news.

Ever wonder why your app feels slow even with a decent backend?

👉 Chances are, you’re forcing users to download everything up front

With React.lazy, lazy load heavy components only when they’re actually needed

I just broke this down in my newsletter Frontend Snacks, reply if you want the link!

Small Wins 🏆

🔶 I moved the "Mark as Completed" button to the bottom of my Custom course platform I built
🔶 and it automatically advances to the next lesson

The Custom Platform is built on top of Next.js and is one of my best decisions. It enables me to design a tailored learning experience.

I enjoy tackling tough problems, but auth is a challenge I'd skip next time.

"Just login + signup" turned into
◆ SAML & SCIM chaos
◆ Compliance audits (GDPR, SOC2, HIPAA)
◆ Unwanted security risks

In this video, I discuss my journey from DIY to WorkOS and what devs should know before building auth

Don't block the user. Instead, schedule work in the background

Introducing the Next.js Hidden After Function ⚡

Schedule background tasks such as:
- Logging
- Analytics
- Sending emails
- Firing web hooks
- Cache revalidation
- Data cleanup

(🎥 full breakdown below)

I don’t pick tools because they’re trendy.

I pick what helps me ship faster.

This is my 2025 tech stack with real examples from projects like ProofyBubble + my course platform.

💡 The best stack is the one that makes you productive.

(link below)

Tweaking the Custom course Platform I built to improve the UX

Torn between keeping those MODULE numbers or removing them altogether?

Module 1, 2, 3 yay or nay on topping module name?

Okay I must admit this was so funny! 😆

I launched the Nextjs course on August 12th, worked hard to create daily vlogs only to not publish any vlogs during launch week 💀

Response was overwhelming

I was
- busy answering support emails
- onboarding folks
- improving the course

I just forgot lol