/react-server-components-framework

name: react-server-components-framework
license: MIT
compatibility: "Claude Code 2.1.251+."
description: Use when building Next.js 16+ apps with React Server Components. Covers App Router, Cache Components (replacing experimental_ppr), streaming SSR, Server Actions, and React 19 patterns for server-first architecture.
context: fork
agent: frontend-ui-developer
version: 1.5.0
author: OrchestKit
tags: [frontend, react, react-19.2, nextjs-16, server-components, streaming, cache-components, turbopack]
user-invocable: false
disable-model-invocation: false
complexity: medium
persuasion-type: reference
targets:
  - library: next.js
    version: ">=16.2.6"
  - library: react
    version: ">=19.2.6"
metadata:
  category: document-asset-creation
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Glob
  - Grep
  - WebFetch
  - WebSearch
path_patterns: ["*.tsx", "*.jsx", "**/next.config.*", "**/app/**/*.tsx"]

React Server Components Framework

Overview

React Server Components (RSC) enable server-first rendering with client-side interactivity. This skill covers Next.js 16.2 LTS App Router patterns, Server Components, Server Actions, and streaming.

> **Next.js 16.2.6 / React 19.2.6 (security release, May 2026)** — Turbopack is the default bundler (no `--turbo` flag needed), Server Fast Refresh is on by default, and the new `cacheComponents` config flag replaces the legacy `experimental_ppr` escape hatch. For AI-agent debugging Next.js ships **Next DevTools MCP** — wire `npx -y next-devtools-mcp@latest` into `.mcp.json` (it connects via the dev server's `/_next/mcp` endpoint) to inspect render trees and cache boundaries mid-session.

**When to use this skill:**

• Building Next.js 16+ applications with the App Router
• Designing component boundaries (Server vs Client Components)
• Implementing data fetching with caching and revalidation
• Creating mutations with Server Actions
• Optimizing performance with streaming and Suspense

---

Quick Reference

Server vs Client Components

| Feature | Server Component | Client Component | |---------|-----------------|------------------| | Directive | None (default) | `'use client'` | | Async/await | Yes | No | | Hooks | No | Yes | | Browser APIs | No | Yes | | Database access | Yes | No | | Client JS bundle | Zero | Ships to client |

**Key Rule**: Server Components can render Client Components, but Client Components cannot directly import Server Components (use `children` prop instead).

Data Fetching Quick Reference

**Next.js 16 Cache Components (Recommended):**

import { cacheLife, cacheTag } from 'next/cache'

// Default — shared across all users (public CDN-cached)
async function CachedProducts() {
  'use cache'
  cacheLife('hours')
  cacheTag('products')
  return await db.product.findMany()
}

// Remote variant (16.2+) — always served from the edge/CDN, never rendered
// inline on the origin. Best for static product listings, marketing content.
async function MarketingHero() {
  'use cache: remote'
  cacheLife('days')
  return <Hero />
}

// Private variant (16.2+) — cached per-user session. Never shared across
// users. Use for personalized dashboards with expensive computation.
async function UserDashboard({ userId }: { userId: string }) {
  'use cache: private'
  cacheLife('minutes')
  cacheTag(`user:${userId}`)
  return await loadDashboard(userId)
}

// Invalidate cache — v16 requires a cacheLife profile as the 2nd arg
import { revalidateTag } from 'next/cache'
revalidateTag('products', 'max') // or updateTag('products') for read-your-writes

Enable via `next.config.ts`:

import type { NextConfig } from 'next'
const config: NextConfig = {
  cacheComponents: true,  // 16.2+ — replaces experimental_ppr flag
}
export default config

**Legacy Fetch Options (Next.js 15):**

// Static (cached indefinitely)
await fetch(url, { cache: 'force-cache' })

// Revalidate every 60 seconds
await fetch(url, { next: { revalidate: 60 } })

// Always fresh
await fetch(url, { cache: 'no-store' })

// Tag-based revalidation
await fetch(url, { next: { tags: ['posts'] } })

Server Actions Quick Reference

'use server'

export async function createPost(formData: FormData) {
  const title = formData.get('title') as string
  const post = await db.post.create({ data: { title } })
  revalidatePath('/posts')
  redirect("/posts/" + post.id)
}

Async Params/SearchParams (Next.js 16)

Route parameters and search parameters are now Promises that must be awaited:

// app/posts/[slug]/page.tsx
export default async function PostPage({
  params,
  searchParams,
}: {
  params: Promise<{ slug: string }>
  searchParams: Promise<{ page?: string }>
}) {
  const { slug } = await params
  const { page } = await searchParams
  return <Post slug={slug} page={page} />
}

**Note:** Also applies to `layout.tsx`, `generateMetadata()`, and route handlers. Complete migration guide: first-party `next-upgrade` / `vercel:next-upgrade` skill. House scars: `Read("references/ork-delta.md")`.

Dev Server (Next.js 16.2 LTS)

• **Turbopack default** — `next dev` and `next build` run Turbopack without any flag. Pass `--webpack` only when forced (legacy plugin).
• **Server Fast Refresh** — Server Components hot-reload on save without losing client state. No extra config; it's on by default in 16.2.
• **Next DevTools MCP** — register `npx -y next-devtools-mcp@latest` in `.mcp.json`; it attaches to the running dev server over the `/_next/mcp` endpoint and exposes RSC payloads and cache boundaries to an MCP client. Designed for AI agents that need to inspect render trees mid-session without screenshotting. (There is no `next-browser` binary.)

---

References

Load on demand with `Read("references/<file>")`: | File | Content | |------|---------| | `ork-delta.md` | House rules and scars: fabricated-API corrections from PR #2143, React 19 house conventions (2026-07-31 distillation) | | `tanstack-router-patterns.md` | React 19 features without Next.