14 hours ago
- Astro Components (.astro) run server-side only, cannot be interactive; Client Islands (React, Vue) handle interactivity, but cannot nest Astro Components.
- React Server Components (RSC) use a similar mental model: Server Components and Client Components separated by 'use client' directive, with no syntax distinction between worlds.
- RSC allows components to be imported from either side if they use no server- or client-specific features, making boundaries fluid.
- RSC solves Astro limitations: fractal islands (nested interactivity with context), SPA-like navigation without full page reloads, and refreshable server parts in-place.
- RSC outputs React trees (HTML or JSON), enabling composable server-client interleaving, while Astro outputs HTML with a one-time handoff model.
- RSC is lower-level (Next.js or Parcel RSC implement it), while Astro is a framework; Astro may offer a gentler onramp to similar concepts.