We initially wrote the [React
page](https://nextjs.org/docs/getting-started/react-essentials) to
introduce Server Components in the App Router, but over time, some
implementation details have changed, and the information has become
stale. The React team is working on adding new docs, so I'd like to
change the narrative on the Next.js docs from "client vs. server
components" to "writing code for the server and for the client" - and
link back to the React documentation when it becomes available.
As React developers, we're very familiar with writing code for the
client, it's nice and simple. But doing so comes at the expense of not
being familiar with the server. The aim of these docs is to help
developers become proficient in both the client and server environments.
I'd like to take it back to the foundations, and not use abstractions
like SSG and CSR, MPAs or SPAs, as those terms come with their own set
of assumptions that make it harder to understand how RSC works. Instead,
we'll focus on the request lifecycle, show how application code flows
from the server to the client, and discuss the trade-offs of doing
operations in each environment.
- [x] Page: Rendering Fundamentals
- [x] Environments: Client and Server
- [x] Request-response lifecycle
- [x] Network Boundary
- [x] Page: Server Components
- [x] Benefits and use cases of server rendering
- [x] How to use Server Components in Next.js
- [x] How Server Components are rendered
- [x] Static Rendering
- [x] Dynamic Rendering
- [x] Streaming
- [x] Page: Client Components
- [x] Benefits and use cases of client rendering
- [x] How to use Client Components in Next.js
- [x] How Client Components are rendered
- [x] Initial vs. Subsquent navigation
- [x] Page: Composition Patterns
- [x] When to use client and server components
- [x] Server Component Patterns
- [x] Client Component Patterns
- [x] Interleaving Client and Server Components
- [ ] ~Diagrams~ will follow up with new PR.
- [x] Set up redirects: https://github.com/vercel/front/pull/24917
---------
Co-authored-by: Térence Hollander <hollanderterence@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: shawnthwei <32075290+shawnthwei@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Michael Novotny <manovotny@gmail.com>
This PR document the caching semantics in Next.js, how they interact, and what APIs affect them. We're also taking the opportunity to consolidate terminology, remove duplicate content, and update sections of the docs that relate to caching.
### Documentation
- [x] Create a new section for caching
- [x] Explain how the different caching mechanisms work
- [x] Request Memoization (React Cache)
- [x] Persistent Data Cache
- [x] Persistent Full Route Cache
- [x] In-memory, client-side Router Cache
- [x] Document how different APIs affect caching
- [x] Document cache interactions
- [x] Clean up stale information in the other docs sections
- [x] Routing Section
- [x] Move advanced navigation topics from fundamentals to **How Navigation Works** section
- [x] Rewrite the **How Navigation Works** section
- [x] Rendering Section
- [x] Simplify fundamentals page
- [x] Rewrite the **Static and Dynamic Rendering** pages
- [ ] ~Create a page to explain how **Client and Server Components** are rendered~. Moved to this PR: https://github.com/vercel/next.js/pull/51579
- [x] Data fetching section
- [x] Consolidate data fetching story for fetching, caching, and revalidating
- [x] Clarify data fetching story with 3rd party libraries and React `cache`
- [x] Create **Data Fetching Patterns** page
- [x] Document other related behaviors:
- [x] Update information on scroll position for back/forward navigation
- [x] Remove the concepts of **soft and hard navigation**
- [x] Remove the concepts of **static and dynamic data fetching**
- [x] Use consistent terminology **runtime** 👉🏼 **request time**. Runtime for Edge and Node.js, request time to describe when dynamic stuff happens
- [x] `generateStaticParams` being able to seed the Full Route Cache
- [x] Polish 💅🏼
---
### Related PRs:
- Diagrams: https://github.com/vercel/front/pull/24142
- Redirects: https://github.com/vercel/front/pull/24179
