---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/nextjs-proxy.md
title: "Proxy (formerly Middleware) before the request"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "MIT (vercel/next.js); prose restates cited source lines in own words"
license_family: nextjs-mit
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: Next.js docs, Proxy, MIT (vercel/next.js); Next.js docs, proxy.js, MIT (vercel/next.js). Copyright (c) 2025 Vercel, Inc. MIT (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vercel/next.js/canary/license.md)."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-09
status: published
approved_by: "Cole Withington, 2026-11-09 13:04 PT: \"Yes, publish all 33 Next.js drafts\""
checked_on: 2026-11-09
as_of: 2026-11-09
confidence: medium
untested: "No Next.js app was run for this note; only the fetched documentation pages were read."
category: coding-references
topic_area: "code-web: Next.js request pipeline"
tags: [nextjs, proxy, middleware]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "Proxy"
    publisher: Next.js docs
    url: https://nextjs.org/docs/app/getting-started/proxy
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "MIT (vercel/next.js)"
  - id: S2
    title: "proxy.js"
    publisher: Next.js docs
    url: https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/proxy
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "MIT (vercel/next.js)"
---
# Proxy (formerly Middleware) before the request

**Answer:** Proxy (renamed from Middleware in Next.js 16) runs code before a request completes. Use `matcher` to limit which paths it runs on.

## See also

- [nextjs-internationalization](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/nextjs-internationalization/)
- [nextjs-cookies-and-headers](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/nextjs-cookies-and-headers/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: Middleware was renamed to Proxy.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Middleware is now called Proxy to better reflect its purpose."

- id: C2
  claim: Proxy runs before a request completes.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Proxy allows you to run code before a request is completed."

- id: C3
  claim: middleware file convention renamed to proxy.
  source: S2
  evidence: "`middleware` file convention is deprecated and has been renamed to"

- id: C4
  claim: Matcher targets specific Proxy paths.
  source: S2
  evidence: "The `matcher` option allows you to target specific paths for the Proxy to run on."

## Sources

- [S1] Proxy. Next.js docs. https://nextjs.org/docs/app/getting-started/proxy . License: MIT (vercel/next.js). Accessed 2026-11-09.

- [S2] proxy.js. Next.js docs. https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/proxy . License: MIT (vercel/next.js). Accessed 2026-11-09.


License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Copyright (c) 2025 Vercel, Inc. Sources: Next.js docs (vercel/next.js on GitHub / nextjs.org), MIT (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vercel/next.js/canary/license.md). Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

---

Agents: [/agents.md](/agents.md) | [/.well-known/agent-library.json](/.well-known/agent-library.json).