React's development has shifted significantly with the introduction of Server Components and a strong push toward using frameworks like Next.js. The React team, now split between Meta and Vercel, recommends frameworks over traditional SPAs, citing better performance and integrated solutions for routing, data fetching, and server rendering. This has created community confusion and concerns about React's direction, with debates over whether Vercel is driving React development for commercial gain. The author clarifies that React Server Components were the React team's vision, not Vercel's, and addresses common misconceptions about React only working with Next.js or potentially abandoning client-side functionality. The post examines the tensions between the React team's framework-first recommendations and the ecosystem's continued heavy use of SPA tools like Vite and Create React App.
Table of contents
Introduction 🔗︎A Brief History of React 🔗︎React's Relationship with Its Owners 🔗︎React Usage Patterns 🔗︎Inside React Server Components 🔗︎Community Concerns and Confusion 🔗︎Takeaways from the Concerns 🔗︎Final Thoughts 🔗︎Sort: