react-best-practices
React and Next.js performance optimization guidelines from Vercel Engineering. This skill should be used when writing, reviewing, or refactoring React/Next.js code to ensure optimal performance patterns. Triggers on tasks involving React components, Next.js pages, data fetching, bundle optimization, or performance improvements.
What this skill does
# React Best Practices ## Overview Performance optimization guide for React and Next.js applications, ordered by impact. Apply these patterns when writing or reviewing code to maximize performance gains. ## When to Apply Reference these guidelines when: - Writing new React components or Next.js pages - Implementing data fetching (client or server-side) - Reviewing code for performance issues - Refactoring existing React/Next.js code - Optimizing bundle size or load times ## Priority-Ordered Guidelines Rules are prioritized by impact: | Priority | Category | Impact | |----------|----------|--------| | 1 | Eliminating Waterfalls | CRITICAL | | 2 | Bundle Size Optimization | CRITICAL | | 3 | Server-Side Performance | HIGH | | 4 | Client-Side Data Fetching | MEDIUM-HIGH | | 5 | Re-render Optimization | MEDIUM | | 6 | Rendering Performance | MEDIUM | | 7 | JavaScript Performance | LOW-MEDIUM | | 8 | Advanced Patterns | LOW | ## Quick Reference ### Critical Patterns (Apply First) **Eliminate Waterfalls:** - Use `Promise.all()` for independent async operations - Start promises early, await late - Use `better-all` for partial dependencies - Use Suspense boundaries to stream content **Reduce Bundle Size:** - Avoid barrel file imports (import directly from source) - Use `next/dynamic` for heavy components - Defer non-critical third-party libraries - Preload based on user intent ### High-Impact Server Patterns - Use `React.cache()` for per-request deduplication - Use LRU cache for cross-request caching - Minimize serialization at RSC boundaries - Parallelize data fetching with component composition ### Medium-Impact Client Patterns - Use SWR for automatic request deduplication - Defer state reads to usage point - Use derived state subscriptions - Apply `startTransition` for non-urgent updates ## References Full documentation with code examples is available in: - `references/react-performance-guidelines.md` - Complete guide with all patterns - `references/rules/` - Individual rule files organized by category To look up a specific pattern, grep the rules directory: ``` grep -l "suspense" references/rules/ grep -l "barrel" references/rules/ grep -l "swr" references/rules/ ``` ## Rule Categories in `references/rules/` - `async-*` - Waterfall elimination patterns - `bundle-*` - Bundle size optimization - `server-*` - Server-side performance - `client-*` - Client-side data fetching - `rerender-*` - Re-render optimization - `rendering-*` - DOM rendering performance - `js-*` - JavaScript micro-optimizations - `advanced-*` - Advanced patterns
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