Build React Server Components without a framework using Forket—a library-agnostic solution that splits code between client and server while maintaining reactivity. By Krasimir Tsonev.
This long piece covers:
- Mental model
- What exactly Forket is doing
- Building a graph
- Producing a “server” version of the code. Finding client boundaries
- Producing a “client” version of the code. Finding server actions
- Annotating client entry points
- Server actions mapping
- How to use it
- At build time
- At runtime
- Instrument your HTTP server
- At least one client entry point
Krasimir Tsonev introduces Forket, a tool to support React Server Components outside of Next.js, by splitting components into client/server versions. Forket generates an abstract syntax tree (AST) graph to identify server-only and client-only code, serializes props for hydration, and handles server actions via global functions.
It works with build tools like Express or Vite to stream React components to the browser. The article emphasizes its framework-agnostic design and provides setup guidance through a config file and runtime glue code. Interesting read!
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