{"id":48940,"date":"2024-08-28T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhblog.dream.press\/blog\/?p=48940"},"modified":"2025-05-21T20:05:07","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T03:05:07","slug":"react-server-components","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/react-server-components\/","title":{"rendered":"React Server Components: The Future of React Development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

React’s been a powerhouse for building web apps over the last ten years<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve all seen it evolve from those clunky class components to the elegance of hooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But React Server Components (RSCs)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t think anyone expected such a dramatic shift in how React worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what exactly are React Server Components? How do they work? And what do they do differently that React couldn’t already do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To answer all these questions, we\u2019ll quickly go over the fundamentals. If you\u2019re in need of a refresher, have a quick look at this guide on how to learn React as a beginner<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we\u2019ll walk you through why we needed React Server Components, how they work, and some of the major benefits of RSCs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are React Server Components?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Tree<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Think of React Server Components as a new way of building React applications. Instead of running in the browser like typical React components, RSCs execute directly on your server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI think RSCs are designed to be the “componentization” of the back end, i.e., the back end equivalent of what SPA React<\/a> did for the front end. In theory, they could largely eliminate the need for things like REST and GraphQL, leading to a much tighter integration between the server and client since a component could traverse the entire stack.\u201d \u2014 ExternalBison54 on Reddit<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Since RSCs execute directly on the server, they can efficiently access backend resources like databases and APIs<\/a> without an additional data fetching layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/svg>\n\t<\/a>\n

API<\/h3>\n

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of functions enabling applications to access data and interact with external components, serving as a courier between client and server.<\/p>\n \n Read More <\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

But why did we need RSCs anyway?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To answer this question, let’s rewind a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional React: Client-Side Rendering (CSR)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

React has always been a client-side UI library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The core idea behind React is to divide your entire design into smaller, independent units we call components. These components can manage their own private data (state<\/strong>) and pass data to each other (props<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of these components as JavaScript functions<\/a> that download and run right in the user’s browser. When someone visits your app, their browser downloads all the component code, and React steps in to render everything:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Flowchart:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n