Next.js 16 Cache Components: use cache, PPR, and When to Reach for Each

Next.js 16 shipped Cache Components - the feature that finally lets a single route mix static HTML, cached data, and per-request dynamic content without splitting it into separate pages. It is Partial Prerendering (PPR) made stable, plus a new use cache directive that replaces the old unstable_cache and the awkward route-segment config flags. This guide covers what changed, the three content types you now think in, and the runtime-data rule that trips up almost everyone on day one. What actually changed If you were using the experimental PPR flag, it is gone. Cache Components is a single config switch, and it turns on the whole model - static shell, cached segments, and streamed dynamic content in one route. // next.config.ts import type { NextConfig } from ' next ' const nextConfig : NextConfig = { cacheComponents : true , // replaces experimental.ppr } export default nextConfig Once it is on, every piece of your route falls into one of three buckets. The whole mental model is learning which bucket each component belongs in. The three content types Static - synchronous code, imports, and pure markup. Prerendered at build time and served instantly from the CDN. Your header, nav, and layout shell. Cached - async data that does not need to be fresh on every request. Marked with use cache . Think product lists, blog posts, dashboard stats. Dynamic - runtime data that must be fresh (cookies, headers, per-user state). Wrapped in Suspense so it streams in after the shell paints. import { Suspense } from ' react ' import { cookies } from ' next/headers ' import { cacheLife } from ' next/cache ' export default function DashboardPage () { return ( <> { /* Static - instant from the CDN */ } < header >< h1 > Dashboard </ h1 ></ header > { /* Cached - fast, revalidates hourly */ } < Stats /> { /* Dynamic - streams in with fresh data */ } < Suspense fallback = { < NotificationsSkeleton /> } > < Notifications /> </ Suspense > </> ) } async function Stats () { ' use cache ' cacheL