Next.js 5: Universal Webpack, CSS Imports, Plugins and Zones

This post introduces Next.js 5.0, highlighting several key technical advancements: Universal Webpack for both server and client code, enabling the use of Webpack loaders for CSS, LESS, SASS, SCSS, and CSS Modules. It also introduces TypeScript support through `ts-loader` and a `next-typescript` plugin. Better support for React alternative libraries like Preact is also detailed. The concept of 'Zones' is introduced, allowing the composition of multiple independent Next.js applications into a unified experience via path aliases and backend routing configuration. This enables independent deployment and scaling of different application parts.