React Server Components in production: what we learned the hard way
NEO Campus Editorial11 April 20266 min read
React Server Components changed the mental model of a React app. After a year in production, the benefits are real, but so are the footguns nobody warned us about.
The mental model shift
Thinking in terms of where code runs — server, client, or both — is the single biggest adjustment. Once it clicks, bundle sizes drop dramatically.
Data fetching gets simpler
Fetching directly inside server components removes a whole category of state-management boilerplate. SWR-style hooks still have a place at the edges.
Sharp edges
Caching defaults bit us repeatedly. Read the framework docs on revalidation carefully before shipping anything user-specific.
