Next.js is infuriating

I 100% agree. I've ran into the same issues, and I would never use Next.js for anything, and I will encourage every team at work to use something else.

In general Next.js has so many layers of abstraction that 99.9999% of projects don't need. And the ones that do are probably better off building a bespoke solution from lower level parts.

Next.js is easily the worst technology I've ever used.

I've been running a SaaS on Next.js + GraphQL for 4.5 years now, sticking to Pages router has eliminated most of the complexity.

I recently rewrote my auth to use better-auth (as a separate service), which has allowed me to start moving entirely off Next.js (looking at either React Router 7 or Tanstack Router).

Back when I started, Next.js made server side rendering incredibly easy, but it turns out I didn't need it. My marketing site is entirely static, and my app is entirely client rendered.

I would recommend React Router over Tanstack. I tried both and RR was so much easier and more reliable.

Tanstack seems to be following Next.js in that they’re just over complicating everything and their docs felt lacking for the most of their features.