Next.js has gained traction since its debut in 2016, offering developers robust features. However, scaling it efficiently in Kubernetes can be challenging. The article highlights the performance implications of these challenges, emphasizing that each failed request during peak times equates to lost revenue. Latency of just 100 milliseconds can significantly impact conversion rates. The author introduces Watt, a solution designed to address these issues and enhance performance for Next.js and other Node.js workloads. Watt employs several techniques to improve scaling, including zero-overhead load balancing and process orchestration. It automatically restarts crashed processes, manages graceful shutdowns, and monitors health metrics. The shared HTTP cache among workers minimizes redundant processing, leading to better performance. A key feature is the use of `SO_REUSEPORT`, which allows multiple Node.js threads to efficiently handle incoming connections without the overhead seen in traditional setups like PM2. This method reduces latency and improves throughput by ensuring that each worker can accept connections directly. The article dives into technical specifics, explaining how the Linux kernel distributes connections using a two-stage hash algorithm. This design leads to even distribution of traffic without needing coordination among processes, a significant improvement over older methods. The benchmarks indicate that Watt can lead to a 93% performance improvement for Next.js applications running on AWS EKS, demonstrating its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. With features like independent event loops and resource sharing, Watt offers a more efficient architecture for deploying Node.js applications in Kubernetes.