
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*qjytc6vSbaFdBF5M-3S9ew.png"></figure><p>Not too long ago, the React team announced the rollout of React Server Components. <a href="https://legacy.reactjs.org/blog/2020/12/21/data-fetching-with-react-server-components.html">While these aren’t necessarily a new features</a>, it took the community by surprise (I’m assuming by the lack of examples and/or jarring rollout with very little documentation to explain “best practices”). I’ve taken the time to build out a couple enterprise-level web applications, and my goal of this article is to break down the pros and cons of my experience with it thus far.</p>
<h3>Utilizing React Server Components in Enterprise-level Web Applications</h3>
<h3>The Basics of React Server Components</h3>
<p>Before we dive into the pros and cons, let’s get a basic understanding of what React Server Components (RSCs) are. Essentially, RSCs are a new type of component that can be rendered only on the server. They are designed to complement the existing capabilities of React, enabling developers to build more efficient, scalable applications.</p>
<p>RSCs have the ability to access server-side data sources directly, removing the need for additional client-side fetching and data management. Moreover, since they are rendered on the server, the output is HTML, which is sent to the client. This could lead to potential improvements in performance, as it reduces the amount of JavaScript shipped to the client.</p>
<h3>The Pros of Using React Server Components</h3>
<h3>1. Performance Boost</h3>
<p>One of the most notable benefits of RSCs is the potential for enhanced performance. They allow you to write components that produce HTML on the server and send it to the client. This results in faster initial load times, as less JavaScript needs to be downloaded and parsed.</p>
<h3>2. Reduced Client-Side Code</h3>
<p>RSCs can directly access the database or file systems on the server side, which significantly reduces the need for client-side data fetching and state management code. This leads to a reduction in bundle size and complexity of the client-side application.</p>
<h3>3. Automatic Code Splitting</h3>
<p>RSCs support automatic component-level code splitting. This means you can reduce the amount of code sent to the client by only loading the components required for the initial render, effectively increasing load performance.</p>
<h3>The Cons of Using React Server Components</h3>
<h3>1. Limited Interactivity</h3>
<p>RSCs have limitations on what they can do. They do not support React’s event system, which means you cannot add event handlers directly to a server component. They are read-only components, and any interactivity needs to be handled by traditional client components.</p>
<h3>2. Server Environment Dependency</h3>
<p>As server components run on the server and can access databases directly, they inherently become dependent on the server environment. This could potentially complicate your component design and make them less portable.</p>
<h3>3. Learning Curve and Documentation</h3>
<p>Though the idea of RSCs is appealing, the steep learning curve can be off-putting for some developers. As the feature is relatively new, the lack of comprehensive documentation and community-driven best practices has made adoption more challenging.</p>
<h3>Real-World Examples of RSC vs. Traditional Client Components</h3>
<p>To illustrate the practical implications of RSCs, let’s dive into a couple of examples that compare them with traditional client components.</p>
<h3>1. Data Fetching</h3>
<h4>Traditional Client Component</h4>
<p>In a traditional client-side component, fetching data might look something like this:</p>
<pre>import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';<br><br>function UserProfile({ userId }) {<br>  const [user, setUser] = useState(null);<br><br>  useEffect(() =&gt; {<br>    fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`)<br>      .then(res =&gt; res.json())<br>      .then(data =&gt; setUser(data))<br>      .catch(err =&gt; console.error(err));<br>  }, [userId]);<br><br>  if (!user) {<br>    return &lt;div&gt;Loading...&lt;/div&gt;;<br>  }<br><br>  return (<br>    &lt;div&gt;<br>      &lt;h1&gt;{user.name}&lt;/h1&gt;<br>      &lt;p&gt;{user.bio}&lt;/p&gt;<br>    &lt;/div&gt;<br>  );<br>}<br><br>export default UserProfile;</pre>
<p>Here, we’re fetching user data on the client-side using fetch within useEffect. We have to manage the loading state, handle potential errors, and ensure the component re-renders when the user data changes.</p>
<h4>React Server Component</h4>
<p>Now, let’s look at the equivalent code using a React Server Component:</p>
<pre>import { db } from './db.server';<br><br>export default function UserProfile({ userId }) {<br>  const user = db.users.get(userId);<br><br>  return (<br>    &lt;div&gt;<br>      &lt;h1&gt;{user.name}&lt;/h1&gt;<br>      &lt;p&gt;{user.bio}&lt;/p&gt;<br>    &lt;/div&gt;<br>  );<br>}</pre>
<p>With RSCs, you can see the component becomes significantly simpler. We no longer need to handle the data fetching within useEffect, manage loading states, or handle errors.</p>
<h3>2. Server-side Calculations</h3>
<p>Another use-case for RSCs can be server-side computations. Let’s say we have an e-commerce site, and we want to display the total price of all items in the user’s cart.</p>
<h4>Traditional Client Component</h4>
<p>In a traditional client-side component, the calculation might look something like this:</p>
<pre>import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';<br><br>function CartTotal({ cartItems }) {<br>  const [total, setTotal] = useState(0);<br><br>  useEffect(() =&gt; {<br>    let newTotal = 0;<br>    cartItems.forEach(item =&gt; {<br>      newTotal += item.price * item.quantity;<br>    });<br>    setTotal(newTotal);<br>  }, [cartItems]);<br><br>  return &lt;div&gt;Total: ${total.toFixed(2)}&lt;/div&gt;;<br>}<br><br>export default CartTotal;</pre>
<p>Here, we’re calculating the total cost on the client-side, inside a useEffect hook. This means we have to ensure the total is updated whenever the cartItems change.</p>
<h4>React Server Component</h4>
<p>With a React Server Component, the calculation can be done on the server-side, reducing the computation load on the client:</p>
<pre>import { db } from './db.server';<br><br>export default function CartTotal({ userId }) {<br>  const cartItems = db.cartItems.getForUser(userId);<br>  const total = cartItems.reduce((sum, item) =&gt; sum + item.price * item.quantity, 0);<br><br>  return &lt;div&gt;Total: ${total.toFixed(2)}&lt;/div&gt;;<br>}</pre>
<p>As you can see, using RSCs allows the computations to be offloaded to the server, simplifying the client-side component and potentially improving performance.</p>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>React Server Components introduce an interesting new way to structure React applications. While the potential for enhanced performance and simplified client-side code is enticing, it’s important to remember that they introduce a new paradigm with its own set of challenges. As such, it’s crucial to carefully evaluate their fit into your application before deciding to adopt them fully. With time, I think that the React community will likely develop more comprehensive documentation and usage patterns, helping developers to better leverage this exciting new feature. So far so good though in my honest opinion.</p>
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