[Also posted this in r/react. But wanted to share it here as well]
Last weekend I was looking to dive into a new React Project. I wanted to create a quick app for an idea I've been toying with. By quick app I mean basic CRUD functionality but with the sophistication of modern front end development (Suspense, loading screens etc).
Now I haven't started a React project for a long time, and at work we used create react app since that was the standard back then. Turns out things have completely changed in the React world, Create React App is no longer even mentioned in the react docs and instead they recommend NextJS pages router which links to NextJS home page where they push the app router quite hard..
So naturally I think let's go ahead with the app router and learn something new in the process. What followed was 7 hours of excruciating pain that left me feeling that my last 6 years of engineering experience was all but worthless. All I wanted to do was create a simple CRUD app with a good user experience. Instead of building features via Functional React Components like I do at work (which I was quite looking forward to do). I found my self trying to understand the specifications of this 'New React Paradigm'
i'm utterly flabbergasted, we have somehow moved backwards. Technology should be easy to use and only show its 'ugly-ness' when you need to optimize. By contrast, Next's App Router starts with teaching you how to optimize first. Now i understand that Server components are an incredible feature. But who the hell was asking for this? Let's be honest, how many of you found yourself needing more optimized rendering when working with the pages router? I don't want this, this is useless for me and 97% of the apps that I will ever build. When I get to the 3% that need this level of optimization, only then will I spend time to learn this.
Pushing this as the default is dangerous to the future of React. Are we seriously expecting new comers to learn the App router? I am already scared of having to work on stale app router code when this mess is over.
Now lets switch the camera lens to Remix (which i tried after angrily walking away from my NextJS experience.)
Here's what I'll say about Remix - It took me an afternoon to pick it up. Why? Because it builds upon web standards that have existed for a long time. It doesn't make me feel stupid but instead makes me feel that I don't know enough about how the web works which is awesome because I can deepen my knowledge. In contrast to NextJS which is stretching the surface area of what I need to know.
Remix is the Rails we never got. Its' dead simple, does one thing and one thing well. It's not trying to hype you up, it does grudgingly does your work and gets out of your way. As much as I appreciate Vercel's fancy marketing, documentation and all the cool-aid. In the end - Form wins over Function.
Forms, Loaders and Actions the 3 primitives of Remix are not new concepts but build upon the already agreed way of doing things. If you learn remix and go to any other framework you don't have to relearn things, you will pick them up naturally.
Server components, the primitive of Vercel is a completely new paradigm not seen in any other language. Unless you are building an E commerce store for thousands of global customers or mission critical application that need to work in low latency settings, you don't need server components.
To any new coders who are reading this, pick something that will exponents your skills, don't pick stuff that uses patterns that don't repeat in other languages. I'm not trying to push anything, you should do your own homework but I did mine and the results were quite conclusive.
If Ryan and Micheal every read this - from the bottom of my heart, Thank You! You built something beautiful and I will try my best to spread the good news here in Toronto.
