Things were simple. Very SIMPLE

React began with a simple yet powerful premise: build user interfaces using components that live and breathe in the browser. Every React application followed this pattern:

• 'Initial page load downloads the JavaScript bundle
• React bootstraps itself in the browser
• Components render and become interactive
• The application handles all subsequent user interactions locally

Basically, every React app lived entirely in the browser. Your whole application is downloaded as a bundle of JavaScript, like getting a complete LEGO set dumped on your desk at once.

The turning point came when Meta's own teams struggled with these limitations while building Instagram's web application. They found themselves shipping increasingly large amounts of JavaScript to users' browsers. This wasn't just a technical problem - it directly impacted user experience, especially in regions with slower internet connections or less powerful devices.

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Enter Server Components

Server Components represent a fundamental shift in how React applications work. Instead of running everything in the browser, components can now run on the server and send only the necessary HTML to the user. This is more than just an optimization - it's a complete rethinking of React's architecture.

Yes, Many developers believe Server Components are a Next.js feature. This is incorrect. React Server Components (RSC) is a core React feature that Next.js happens to implement exceptionally well.

In December 2020, the React team introduced a revolutionary concept: React Server Components (RSC). Dan Abramov and Lauren Tan introduced this through a talk titled "Data Fetching with React Server Components."

The core concept was that components could now be split into client components and server components, each serving different purposes in a single application.

Server Components would manage data-heavy, non-interactive parts of the app, leaving only interactive elements to be handled by client components. This made React apps feel more like traditional server-rendered websites, with the added benefits of React’s dynamic UI.

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Next.js Role

As the React community experimented with Server Components, framework creators like Next.js took the lead in implementing them within established toolchains. By mid-2022, Next.js integrated early support for React Server Components, allowing developers to try the feature in real-world projects while React continued to refine the API.

When Next.js 13 launched in late 2022, it introduced the App Router - a complete reimagining of how React applications should be built.

This bold move turned the entire ecosystem upside down.

With Server Components baked into the Next.js framework, developers of all types—from solo developers and indie hackers to large corporations—began to transition to Next.js in droves.

For small teams, Server Components made their apps more efficient and helped them save on hosting costs by reducing the amount of JavaScript sent to the browser. Indie developers, eager to stand out in a competitive market, used Next.js to create fast, SEO-friendly sites without the hassle of managing complex setups.

In short, Next.js became synonymous with modern React development, helping developers everywhere build better, faster apps that work for everyone.