NEXT.JS ENGINE / START HERE
Learn the decisions before the features.
Generation 3 is easier to understand when you start with one question: what work belongs on the server, what genuinely needs the browser, and how does the compiler make that boundary visible? Learn that first; the individual Engine* systems make much more sense afterward.
CURRENT TRACK · 3.0.0-alpha.0 · main-3 · active development
FIRST PASS
A useful order for your first twenty minutes.
01 / WHY
Understand the contract.
Learn why Gen 3 compiles intent early, keeps durable content server-first, exposes runtime cost and treats fallbacks as explicit behavior.
mental model · ~4 min
Open →02 / COMPILE
Follow schema into an execution plan.
Read the compiler/server-first overview before memorizing component APIs. The important output is the plan: runtime class, capabilities, assets and boundaries.
compiler · server renderer · scheduler · adaptive
Open →03 / INSPECT
See why the page behaves that way.
EngineDebug turns compiler nodes, runtime boundaries, scheduler state and device simulation into a development workbench instead of hidden framework behavior.
D.5–D.10 · dev-only workbench
Open →04 / AUTHOR
Use the server-first content systems.
EngineMarkdown and EngineSEO are good examples of the Gen 3 rule: push deterministic work into server output and keep browser ownership deliberate.
Markdown · SEO · semantic output
Open →05 / NETWORK
Add private runtime work last.
Once the execution model makes sense, move into NENC, EngineCookies, device proof and account/session flows. Those systems assume you understand client/server authority.
NENC · sessions · private commands
Open →06 / SOURCE
Then explore the full tree.
Use Downloads for main-3 source/package choices and the live docs workspace for the complete reference. Alpha status means current docs matter more than old examples.
main-3 source of truth
Open →THE SHORT VERSION
Schema is not the destination. The execution plan is.
If you remember only one thing, remember the boundary. Gen 3 is trying to make browser ownership, scheduling and compatibility a consequence of compiled intent rather than a pile of per-component guesses.
DON'T START TOO DEEP
Advanced systems are easier after the boundary model clicks.
NENC before client/server authority
Private command transport makes much more sense once you understand what the compiler leaves in the browser and what remains server-owned.
Compatibility before used-feature manifests
Fallback planning is intentionally based on what a page actually uses. Read the compiler/feature-manifest story before treating compatibility as a browser checklist.
EngineDebug as a production feature
The debugger exists to explain development decisions. Its production guarantee is absence, not a hidden admin screen.
Old Gen 2 examples as the current contract
Generation 3 is an alpha line with a live main-3 source of truth. Historical release docs are useful history, not the current architecture contract.