React Server Components vs. Astro Islands: When to Use Each Pattern

Short summary

React Server Components synchronize constantly between server and client, making them ideal for interactive apps like dashboards where framework overhead is acceptable. Astro Islands treat pages as mostly static HTML with optional JavaScript islands, better for content-heavy sites with scattered interactivity. Choose based on your page's interactivity density: high-frequency server-client dialogue favors RSC, while mostly-static content with few interactive components favors Astro.

• •RSC suits interactive apps needing constant server-client dialogue (dashboards, real-time updates); Astro suits content sites with sparse interactions
• •RSC ships React runtime to browser; Astro can ship zero JavaScript if page is entirely static
• •RSC requires specialized hosting (Vercel, Render); Astro can deploy as static files or simple server

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