Kimuel Arvin Anqui’s Post

The React docs make Server Components look straightforward. Trust me, it is not. I used React Server Components in a production projects. And I genuinely love where it landed. But the road to getting there was not what I expected. The part that tripped me up the most was knowing when to use a server component and when to use a client component. On the surface it sounds simple. Server components fetch data and stay on the server. Client components handle interactivity and live in the browser. Okay cool. But then you are in the middle of a real feature and it stops being obvious. You have a component that needs data from the server but also needs a click handler. Do you split it? Do you push the interactivity down to a smaller client component and keep the parent on the server? How far do you take that? Nobody in the docs really prepares you for those in between moments where you are just sitting there staring at a component wondering which world it belongs to. And the first few weeks felt like I was fighting the framework more than building with it. Little things kept catching me out. Trying to use a library that expected to run on the client. Passing things between server and client that you just cannot pass. Error messages that were not exactly helpful. But then something clicked. Once the mental model settled in it actually changed how I think about building React apps. Keeping heavy data fetching on the server, sending less JavaScript to the browser, components that are genuinely simpler because they do not need to manage state they never should have owned in the first place. It is worth it. I would use it again. But go in knowing the docs are the easy version of the story. Anyways that's my two cents. Have you used React Server Components in production yet? What was the moment it finally clicked for you? #React #ReactServerComponents #NextJS #Frontend #WebDevelopment #JavaScript #TechLead #SoftwareEngineering #Sydney

⚡ A Simple React Performance Trick: Lazy Loading Components One performance issue I’ve noticed in many React applications is large bundle sizes. When an app loads too much JavaScript upfront, it can slow down the initial page load and impact user experience. One simple solution for this is Lazy Loading. Instead of loading all components at once, we can load them only when they are needed. Here’s a simple example 👇 import React, { lazy, Suspense } from "react"; const Dashboard = lazy(() => import("./Dashboard")); function App() { return ( <Suspense fallback={Loading...}> ); } What’s happening here? 🔹 React.lazy() loads the component only when it is rendered 🔹 Suspense shows a fallback UI while the component is loading 🔹 This reduces the initial bundle size Why this matters 👇 ✅ Faster initial page load ✅ Better performance for large applications ✅ Improved user experience This technique becomes especially useful for: • Dashboards • Admin panels • Large feature modules • Route-based components 💡 One thing I’ve learned while working with React: Small performance optimizations like lazy loading and code splitting can make a big difference as applications scale. Curious to hear from other developers 👇 Do you use lazy loading in your React applications? #reactjs #frontenddevelopment #javascript #webdevelopment #reactperformance #softwareengineering #coding

🚀 React Project: JSON Explorer I built a small web application that allows users to paste any JSON API URL and instantly visualize the returned data in a clean and structured format. Key Features ✔ Fetch data from any JSON API ✔ Loading and error handling ✔ Clean UI for easy JSON visualization ✔ “Load More” functionality for large datasets Tech Stack: React | JavaScript | CSS 🔗 Try the app: https://lnkd.in/gQDirDAn This project helped me strengthen my understanding of API integration, React state management, and dynamic UI rendering. #ReactJS #FrontendDevelopment #JavaScript #WebDevelopment #API #LearningByBuilding

Next.js 14: To Client or To Server? That is the question. 🚀 As Front-End Developers working with Next.js, we often face the dilemma: Should this component be a Server Component (default) or a Client Component ("use client")? After working on various projects, I’ve found that the "Default to Server" approach is a game-changer for performance. Here is my quick cheat sheet: 🌐 Server Components (The Powerhouse) Best for: Data fetching directly from the database or external APIs. Why? It keeps large dependencies on the server, resulting in a much smaller JavaScript bundle for the user. Security: Keeps sensitive keys and logic away from the browser. 🖱️ Client Components (The Interaction) Best for: Interactivity (onClick, onChange) and browser-only APIs like localStorage or window. Why? Essential when you need to use React Hooks like useState or useEffect. Pro Tip: Keep your "use client" components at the leaf level (lowest possible part of the tree) to keep the rest of your app fast and SEO-friendly. The goal isn't just to make it work—it's to make it fast. ⚡ What is your go-to strategy for balancing Server and Client components in your React projects? Let's discuss in the comments! 👇 #ReactJS #NextJS #WebDevelopment #FrontendDeveloper #JavaScript #CodingTips #TechCommunity

Next.js 16 is here, and it’s a game-changer for how we build high-performance web applications. As someone who has been deep in the Next.js ecosystem, I'm particularly excited about the maturity of the App Router and the server-first paradigm. The shift to React Server Components (RSCs) by default is a massive win for performance, drastically cutting down client-side JavaScript and improving Core Web Vitals . The developer experience also gets a huge boost with Turbopack now as the default bundler, delivering up to 10x faster local server startups . However, the most impactful features for me are Server Actions and the refined data fetching patterns. Server Actions eliminate so much boilerplate by allowing direct calls to server-side functions from client components, which is a dream for handling form mutations. Paired with co-located `async/await` data fetching in Server Components, our code becomes cleaner, more secure, and easier to maintain . **Actionable Takeaway:** Start refactoring your data-heavy pages to use the App Router. Identify components that don't require user interactivity and keep them as Server Components. For those that do, push the `"use client"` directive as far down the component tree as possible to maximize the performance benefits of the server-first architecture . What Next.js 16 feature are you most excited to implement in your projects? #NextJS #ReactJS #WebDevelopment #SoftwareEngineering #JavaScript #NodeJS #FullStackDeveloper #Performance

🚀 Understanding React Routing (Simplified) Just created this quick visual to break down React Routing concepts in a clean and structured way. Here’s the core idea 👇 🔹 Types of Routing Declarative → Uses predefined components Data / Custom → Build your own logic Framework → Full control from scratch 🔹 Declarative Routing (Most Common) Uses BrowserRouter Works with Context API Routes defined using <Route> Nested routes handled with <Outlet /> UI-first approach (render first, fetch later) 🔹 Key Concept Routing is basically about showing UI based on URL (path). 🔹 Nested Routing Parent component contains <Outlet /> Child routes render inside that space 🔹 When to Use What? Declarative → Best for most apps (simple, fast, scalable) Custom/Data routing → Useful for complex, dynamic apps 💡 Simple takeaway: Start with declarative routing. Master it. Then explore advanced routing patterns. Trying to turn my handwritten notes into clean visuals like this to improve clarity. Let me know if this helped or if you want more breakdowns like this 👇 #React #WebDevelopment #Frontend #JavaScript #CodingJourney #LearningInPublic

Most React developers use keys wrong in lists. And it silently breaks their app. 😅 This is what everyone does: // ❌ Using index as key {users.map((user, index) => ( <UserCard key={index} user={user} /> ))} Looks fine. Works fine. Until it doesn't. The problem: If you add/remove/reorder items — React uses the index to track components. Index changes → React thinks it's a different component → Wrong component gets updated → Bugs that are impossible to debug. 💀 Real example: // You have: [Alice, Bob, Charlie] // You delete Alice // Now: [Bob, Charlie] // Index 0 was Alice, now it's Bob // React reuses Alice's DOM node for Bob // State gets mixed up! // ✅ Always use unique ID as key {users.map((user) => ( <UserCard key={user.id} user={user} /> ))} Rule I follow: → Never use index as key if list can change → Always use unique stable ID → Only use index for static lists that never change This one mistake caused a 2 hour debugging session for me. 😅 Are you using index as key? Be honest! 👇 #ReactJS #JavaScript #Frontend #WebDevelopment #ReactTips #Debugging

useEffect is the most abused hook in React. Here's what to use instead. I've reviewed hundreds of React codebases. useEffect is in the wrong place in about 60% of them. Not because developers are careless. Because nobody explained when NOT to use it. Here are the cases I see constantly — and what actually belongs there: // ❌ Case 1: Deriving state useEffect(() => { setFullName(`${firstName} ${lastName}`) }, [firstName, lastName]) // ✅ Just compute it const fullName = `${firstName} ${lastName}` No state. No effect. No re-render bug. // ❌ Case 2: Fetching data on mount (with App Router) useEffect(() => { fetch('/api/user').then(...) }, []) // ✅ Use a Server Component or TanStack Query // Data fetching is not a side effect in modern React // ❌ Case 3: Syncing two pieces of state useEffect(() => { if (selectedId) setDetails(getDetails(selectedId)) }, [selectedId]) // ✅ Derive during render const details = selectedId ? getDetails(selectedId) : null The React team has said explicitly: if you're using useEffect to sync state with other state, you probably have one piece of state too many. useEffect is for: → Connecting to external systems (WebSocket, third-party libraries, browser APIs) → Setting up subscriptions → Manual DOM manipulation That's mostly it. If you're using useEffect for anything that feels like when X changes, update Y, there's almost certainly a cleaner way. What's the strangest useEffect usage you've come across? #React #JavaScript #TypeScript #FrontendDevelopment #WebDevelopment

I reduced a React app's load time from 6 seconds to under 2. No magic. Just 3 things most devs skip: 𝟭. Stop re-rendering everything Most performance issues I've seen come from components re-rendering when they don't need to. The fix: → Wrap expensive components in React.memo → Stabilize functions with useCallback → Memoize heavy calculations with useMemo But here's what nobody tells you — over-memoizing is just as bad. Profile first. Fix what actually hurts. 𝟮. Load only what the user needs right now Loading your entire app upfront is like serving the full wedding menu when someone just asked for water. The fix: → React.lazy + Suspense for route-level splitting → Dynamic imports for heavy libraries (charts, editors) → Skeleton screens so users feel speed even before data arrives This alone dropped our initial bundle by 40%. 𝟯. Virtualize long lists — always Rendering 500 rows in a table kills the DOM. Every. Single. Time. The fix: → react-window for large lists and tables → Only render what's visible in the viewport → Rest stays in memory, not in the DOM We went from janky 15fps scroll to smooth 60fps on a 10,000 row dataset. The result of applying all three? Load time: 6s → under 2s Lighthouse score: 61 → 93 Bundle size: down 40% These aren't theoretical tips. I shipped all three in production. What's the biggest performance win you've had in React? Drop it below 👇 #ReactJS #FrontendDevelopment #WebPerformance #JavaScript #OpenToWork

You're probably over-engineering your React app's state management. Redux made sense in 2016. But most apps today don't need it. What they actually need is a clear separation between server state and UI state. Tools like React Query or SWR already handle server state beautifully - fetching, caching, syncing, and revalidating data without a single Redux action. For the rest? React Context is usually enough. Here's a simple pattern: const AuthContext = React.createContext(null); export function AuthProvider({ children }) { const [user, setUser] = React.useState(null); return ( <AuthContext.Provider value={{ user, setUser }}> {children} </AuthContext.Provider> ); } That covers most global UI state without the boilerplate of reducers, actions, and middleware. Redux still shines in large-scale apps with complex shared state - but that's a small percentage of what most of us build day to day. Simpler tools mean faster development, easier onboarding, and less code to maintain. What state management approach are you currently using in your React projects - and would you consider simplifying it? #React #JavaScript #WebDevelopment #Frontend #NodeJS #SoftwareEngineering