Recently, while building a product with Next.js 14, I had a realization about state management. With Server Components, server-side rendering, and server actions becoming the norm, do we still need complex client-side state management libraries?
Here’s my perspective after building a modern Next.js application:
The landscape has fundamentally shifted. With Next.js Server Components handling data fetching and mutations, many traditional use cases for Redux, MobX, or Zustand have simply vanished. Our data needs are increasingly being met right at the source – the server.
What changed?
1. Server Components fetch data at build/request time
2. Server Actions handle mutations directly
3. Next.js caching manages invalidation and revalidation
4. React’s built-in ‘use client’ hooks handle the minimal client state we need
My conclusion? For modern Next.js applications, heavy client-side state management libraries are often unnecessary complexity. Most use cases are elegantly handled by the framework itself. The small amount of client state that remains (like form state or UI toggles) is perfectly managed by React’s useState or useReducer.
The future of web development isn’t about managing giant client-side state trees – it’s about leveraging server-first architecture to deliver faster, simpler, and more maintainable applications.
Have you built with Next.js Server Components? How has it changed your approach to state management?