Should a navigation and a refresh show the same page?
Sep 20, 2023
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Discussion on Next.js client-side cache invalidation, the difference between clicking a link and refreshing a page, and using server components for data fetching and rendering. Also explores building a Firebase site and improving data notifications, and the evolution of navigating and loading data in Rails apps using server components and suspense.
The podcast explores the challenges of caching and how to handle mutations, balancing caching, real-time updates, and user expectations for a seamless web experience.
The hosts delve into the concept of server actions and revalidation to selectively refresh components and maintain client-side state while updating the necessary parts of the UI.
Deep dives
Improving user experience with server components and suspense
The podcast episode discusses the use of server components and suspense in improving the user experience of web applications. The hosts highlight the benefits of using server components, such as deferred rendering of data fetching and the ability to update specific parts of the UI without affecting client-side state. They emphasize the importance of aligning the suspense boundaries with user expectations to ensure smooth transitions and updates. The hosts also explore the challenges of caching and how to handle mutations in the app, whether they are made through user interactions or external systems. Overall, the episode delves into the nuances of balancing caching, real-time updates, and user expectations to create a seamless and responsive web experience.
Optimizing data fetching with server actions and revalidation
The podcast episode dives into the concept of server actions and revalidation in optimizing data fetching. The hosts explain how server actions can be used to check if the data has changed and trigger a refresh on the client side without performing a hard reload. They highlight the advantages of this approach, which allows for selective rerendering and maintaining client-side state while updating only the necessary parts of the UI. Additionally, they discuss different strategies for handling data updates, such as polling and using server actions to notify the client of changes. The hosts also touch on the importance of fine-tuning caching behaviors to achieve the desired user experience and address common frustrations and confusion related to caching and mutations.
Creating a seamless user experience with cache control and render optimizations
The podcast episode explores techniques for creating a seamless user experience by utilizing cache control and render optimizations. The hosts discuss the challenges of maintaining a balance between caching data for faster rendering and ensuring that users see real-time updates. They delve into the concept of cache invalidation and the use of surrogate keys to notify clients about changes in data. The episode also covers the benefits of using server actions to trigger revalidation and selectively refresh components, as well as the potential for implementing buffered state updates. The hosts emphasize the importance of aligning with user expectations and enhancing the baseline experience of navigating and interacting with web applications.
The future of web development: Building reactive apps with enhanced data updates
The podcast episode looks into the future of web development and the potential for building reactive apps with enhanced data updates. The hosts discuss the vision of creating websites that provide real-time updates and behave more like native applications. They highlight how the use of technologies such as server components, suspense, and server actions paves the way for achieving this vision. The episode emphasizes the need for a smooth gradient of complexity, allowing developers to gradually add advanced features that enhance the user experience, such as polling, revalidation, and controlled refresh. The hosts acknowledge the existing challenges and confusion surrounding caching, mutations, and navigating between different versions of data, and express their optimism for continued improvements in making these processes more accessible and intuitive for developers.
Ryan and Sam talk about how to invalidate Next.js’ client-side cache when a different session makes changes to backend data, and ultimately discuss whether clicking a link to a URL vs. hitting refresh on that same URL should render the same page if no backend data has changed.
Topics include:
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Suspense boundary identity and the Await component
11:07 - How to refresh RSC using a Server Action
27:17 - The difference between a navigation and a page refresh