Next.js Support is in maintenance mode

[ScriptedAlchemy]

Deprecation Notice for nextjs-mf

We intend to deprecate (EOL) nextjs-mf, maintained by the core authors of Module Federation.

• Pages Router will remain "supported," and small, easy fixes will still be back-ported.
• No new or active development will take place from the core team.
• Community pull requests will continue to be merged.

---

If you are exploring microfrontends, do not use Next.js.

---

Regarding "RSC Federation" Tweeted by Vercel

• Appears to be an update to Next.js Zones.
• Page refresh may still exist.
• Supports only vertical slicing.
• Incompatible with the current ecosystem.
• Client components may not be importable as they are in Module Federation.
• No code or state sharing.
• Uses optimistic prefetching to minimize page reload time between zones.

Sharing components like a Header across multiple apps does not seem possible—you would need to use npm or a monorepo.

If any of this information is inaccurate or new information emerges, I will amend this section.

User Options

Your best options are to contact Vercel or abandon Next.js.

• Since the Pages Router still works, Next.js 15 is probably safe.
• Next.js 16 is TBD; if it only requires a minor fix (as with Next.js 15), I will provide a patch.
• You can use the module-federation/runtime package directly without a compiler plugin, but code sharing will be limited since shared performs build-time chunking. This means remotes must use the same versions of dependencies as hosts, and Next.js builds cannot generate remote entry files—essentially, it can only act as a host system.

We highly recommend moving to a framework that works well with microfrontends:

• Modern.js works best and will introduce RSC + Federation support in 2025, providing a solid alternative. It powers all of ByteDance and is maintained by their infrastructure team, ensuring excellent support.
• Remix is also a good option.
• TanStack looks promising as well.

If anyone wishes to become the primary maintainer of nextjs-mf, you are more than welcome.

Timeline Until Total Deprecation

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, expect nextjs-mf to remain as functional as it is today until mid to end of 2026. This gives you approximately two years to make a plan.

Note: If Next.js 16 breaks Pages Router support beyond an easy fix, version 16 will not be supported.

What This Means:

• Updates to our runtime packages will still ensure existing unit tests for nextjs-mf pass.
• Around the end of 2026, nextjs-mf unit tests will be removed from continuous integration.
• We will no longer track its functionality.
• If Vercel introduces significant changes that break it before the 2026 EOL, it will be retired ahead of time—assuming it's not a simple adjustment to fix.

Reasoning

Many framework authors actively collaborate and want to support Module Federation. Next.js is not one of them to date. While there seem to be internal discussions at Vercel, we have seen no indication or received any contact regarding this. Given the track record, doubt anything will materialize

nextjs-mf has involved years of "fighting the framework," and without support from the framework authors, it has been a very slow decline. Considering the substantial time and effort required to keep it somewhat functional, it is simply not worthwhile.

Supporting Next.js has come at the cost of improving the greater ecosystem. Since we stopped focusing on the project at the start of 2024, the Module Federation ecosystem has drastically expanded. This is largely due to reallocating the bandwidth that previously went into nextjs-mf.

As an example, creating Module Federation v2 took about 3 months, supporting modernjs took a few weeks. Next regularly requires months of work

nextjs-mf was initially started in 2021. Early on, there was alignment between Vercel and the Federation group. We enthusiastically submitted a pull request to Next.js to upgrade it to Webpack 5 and advance mutual goals of implementing Module Federation in Next.js. Ultimately, it did not pan out as Turborepo was acquired and a different approach was taken, Next in general has optimized toward bigger and faster monoliths.

I have largely been obligated to maintain this project single-handedly due to the user base being large tech companies—you cannot simply abandon a project when challenges arise. Best efforts have been made over the years to keep the project going. While I have not personally used nextjs-mf in about two years, it has seen two major releases.

I believe I have gone above and beyond for the users of nextjs-mf. While it is indeed disappointing to retire the project, it is time.

its been real, its been good. But it hasn't been real good 👋

[anthonyshew]

Hey, Zack. We did smooth some rough edges and improve documentation for Multi-Zones with Next.js, and, separately, we're still thinking about and experimenting with solutions for RSC Federation and module federation.

Thank you for all the work you've done for the Next.js community over the years and looking forward to your next projects!

[ScriptedAlchemy]

Hey, Zack. We did smooth some rough edges and improve documentation for Multi-Zones with Next.js, and, separately, we're still thinking about and experimenting with solutions for RSC Federation and module federation.

Thank you for all the work you've done for the Next.js community over the years and looking forward to your next projects!

Glad to hear it! If vercel ever does decide to support module federation - we will be happy to resume support or adjust the ecosystem if there's any concern. Maybe by 2027 vercel will make some moves and users won't be left out in the cold.

It's just too much to support a framework who, as it stands today, doesn't want it.

Appreciate the first class consideration of microfrontends on next.

All the best, you know where to find me. 😉

[tamusjroyce]

Hi Zach, what alternative frameworks do you suggest?

[ScriptedAlchemy]

Hi Zach, what alternative frameworks do you suggest?

ModernJS will be the best for federation since it's a first-class feature and supports ssr etc.

Otherwise, anything that isn't owned and operated by vercel should be substantially better. Next has worst support, least features, most problems.

TanStack
ModernJS
Remix
Nuxt
Rsbuild
The Boring Stack
Vite based apps, but no ssr or typescript support.

[prakashmallow]

@ScriptedAlchemy Does module federation support React.js in the future? I'm asking because React 19 will include an RSC in the next major release.

[ScriptedAlchemy]

Yes, it will. ModernJS will likely ship first with RSC support. Our teams are waiting for v19 stable to arrive, but RSC is already in the quarterly plans. Rspack has already begun work on the Rust side, etc. However, the APIs for RSC have changed a few times, so there’s no point in doing it until we actually have the final API; otherwise, it’s pulling bandwidth away from other work. Once it lands, we will start looking into it. It likely won’t take much work to support, given the historical performance of the infrastructure team.