React: then & now

What It Covers

React co-founder Tom Occhino discusses React's origins at Facebook, current evolution with React 19 features including Server Components and compiler, plus Shruti Kapoor explains new developer-facing capabilities.

Key Questions Answered

• •React Server Components: Move data fetching back to server while keeping client interactivity, eliminating loading spinners and waterfalls by streaming dynamic content into static shells for better user experience.
• •React 19 Actions: Submit forms using new action attribute instead of onClick handlers, automatically managing pending states and async transitions without manual state management or useEffect hooks.
• •React Compiler: Auto-memoizes components without useMemo, useCallback, or React.memo - install as Babel plugin to automatically optimize code performance without developer intervention or manual optimization.
• •Use API: Read context and promises directly in components without nesting restrictions or hook rules - can be called conditionally anywhere in component, not just at top level.
• •Component Architecture: React's component-based approach now dominates all UI frameworks including SwiftUI - focus on high cohesion within components, loose coupling between them through props boundary for maintainable code.