We keep hearing that React Server Components (RSC) are the future. And that they're supposed to be the best for performance. And just the best in general. But how valid is that claim? Let's measure and find out!
To do this, I went slightly crazy and implemented one app in three different ways: using Client-Side Rendering (CSR), Server-Side Rendering (SSR), and React Server Components (RSC). Then, measured the difference. And now ready to show it to you.
In this talk, we'll take a look at what initial load performance is, how to measure it, and what's the difference between rendering patterns: from the implementation perspective, differences in performance graphs, and in terms of actual performance numbers.
This talk has been presented at React Advanced 2025, check out the latest edition of this React Conference.