React survey shows TanStack gains, doubts over server components
(2026/02/17)
- Reference: 1771350000
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/17/react_survey_shows_tanstack_gains/
- Source link:
Devographics has published its State of React survey, with over 3,700 developers speaking out about what they love and hate in the fractured React ecosystem.
React, originally sponsored by Meta, is a JavaScript library but not a complete framework, the result being that developers using React have a lot of choices when it comes to React-based frameworks and tools. The complexity of the ecosystem is a problem. "Getting a build and testing harness and CI system and IDE tools to all play nicely together is reliably a nightmare," complained one respondent.
Despite such concerns, React usage remains high and may grow further thanks to AI. "With generative AI's reliance on existing codebases in order to spew out new code, could React become even more entrenched?" asks Devographics writer Sacha Greif, introducing the [1]survey , which is sponsored by companies including Google, JetBrains, and Algolia.
[2]
React API top pain points according to the 2025 State of React survey. Note that forwardRef was deprecated in React 19
Next.js, which once looked set to become the standard choice for full-stack React, is widely used but not particularly beloved. Eighty percent of respondents have used it, but 17 percent have a negative sentiment, with most complaints focused on excessive complexity and too-tight integration with its main sponsor, hosting company Vercel. "Vendor lock in, complex APIs, and too much noise in the Next.js ecosystem make it a no-go for me," said one comment. Still, 27 percent ticked the box for positive sentiment, so opinion is divided.
If Next.js declines, the winner may be TanStack. TanStack Query, used for data fetching, has 68 percent usage, 42 percent positive sentiment, and just 1 percent negative. TanStack Start, a full-stack framework using React, Solid.js and the Vite build tool currently in release candidate phase, is used by only 15 percent, probably because it is in preview, but liked by nearly half of those who use it or have heard of it.
[3]
TanStack is an open source project created by Tanner Lindsey, co-founder of SEO (search engine optimization) rank tracking company Nozzle. In March 20025 it was [4]sponsored by hosting company Netlify as an alternative to "bloated, over-abstracted frameworks," perhaps with Next.js in mind. TanStack is focused on type-safety using TypeScript and file-based routing.
[5]
[6]
There are several TanStack sub-projects, in varying states of readiness. Alongside Query and Start, others include the TanStack DB data store (beta), TanStack AI (alpha) and TanStack CLI (command line interface), including an MCP (model context protocol) server for use by AI agents.
[7]Critical React Native Metro dev server bug under attack as researchers scream into the void
[8]Meta will move React to Linux Foundation to address vendor dominance fears
[9]Notepad++ update service hijacked in targeted state-linked attack
[10]OpenClaw patches one-click RCE as security Whac-A-Mole continues
Both Next.js and TanStack Start implement React Server Components, but respondents to the survey are not all convinced that React belongs on the server as well as in the browser. "Completely not interested in this feature," said one. The cool response to both server component and server functions is described by the survey authors as "troubling for a set of new APIs that was supposed to pave the way towards React's next big evolution."
Another newish feature, the React Compiler, fares better, with 62 percent of respondents stating their enthusiasm for it. "We can stop littering our code with useMemo and useCallback," said Aurora Scharff, certification lead and React educator, in her conclusion to the survey.
Respondents are also positive about the planned React Foundation, introduced in October 2025 to maintain React's infrastructure and organize its main event, ReactConf.
[11]
Like Greif, Scharff notes that for AI-assisted coding, "React has ... become the default output when you prompt for UI."
Despite its pain points, the future popularity of React seems assured. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://2025.stateofreact.com/en-US/
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2026/02/17/react.jpg
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZTzERlWRpXa-EiSsOnXzAAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.devclass.com/development/2025/03/21/netlify-becomes-official-deployment-host-for-tanstack-as-alternative-to-nextjs-and-vendor-lock-in/1623171
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZTzERlWRpXa-EiSsOnXzAAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZTzERlWRpXa-EiSsOnXzAAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/03/critical_react_native_metro_server/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/09/meta_react_foundation/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/notepad_plusplus_intrusion/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/openclaw_security_issues/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZTzERlWRpXa-EiSsOnXzAAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
React, originally sponsored by Meta, is a JavaScript library but not a complete framework, the result being that developers using React have a lot of choices when it comes to React-based frameworks and tools. The complexity of the ecosystem is a problem. "Getting a build and testing harness and CI system and IDE tools to all play nicely together is reliably a nightmare," complained one respondent.
Despite such concerns, React usage remains high and may grow further thanks to AI. "With generative AI's reliance on existing codebases in order to spew out new code, could React become even more entrenched?" asks Devographics writer Sacha Greif, introducing the [1]survey , which is sponsored by companies including Google, JetBrains, and Algolia.
[2]
React API top pain points according to the 2025 State of React survey. Note that forwardRef was deprecated in React 19
Next.js, which once looked set to become the standard choice for full-stack React, is widely used but not particularly beloved. Eighty percent of respondents have used it, but 17 percent have a negative sentiment, with most complaints focused on excessive complexity and too-tight integration with its main sponsor, hosting company Vercel. "Vendor lock in, complex APIs, and too much noise in the Next.js ecosystem make it a no-go for me," said one comment. Still, 27 percent ticked the box for positive sentiment, so opinion is divided.
If Next.js declines, the winner may be TanStack. TanStack Query, used for data fetching, has 68 percent usage, 42 percent positive sentiment, and just 1 percent negative. TanStack Start, a full-stack framework using React, Solid.js and the Vite build tool currently in release candidate phase, is used by only 15 percent, probably because it is in preview, but liked by nearly half of those who use it or have heard of it.
[3]
TanStack is an open source project created by Tanner Lindsey, co-founder of SEO (search engine optimization) rank tracking company Nozzle. In March 20025 it was [4]sponsored by hosting company Netlify as an alternative to "bloated, over-abstracted frameworks," perhaps with Next.js in mind. TanStack is focused on type-safety using TypeScript and file-based routing.
[5]
[6]
There are several TanStack sub-projects, in varying states of readiness. Alongside Query and Start, others include the TanStack DB data store (beta), TanStack AI (alpha) and TanStack CLI (command line interface), including an MCP (model context protocol) server for use by AI agents.
[7]Critical React Native Metro dev server bug under attack as researchers scream into the void
[8]Meta will move React to Linux Foundation to address vendor dominance fears
[9]Notepad++ update service hijacked in targeted state-linked attack
[10]OpenClaw patches one-click RCE as security Whac-A-Mole continues
Both Next.js and TanStack Start implement React Server Components, but respondents to the survey are not all convinced that React belongs on the server as well as in the browser. "Completely not interested in this feature," said one. The cool response to both server component and server functions is described by the survey authors as "troubling for a set of new APIs that was supposed to pave the way towards React's next big evolution."
Another newish feature, the React Compiler, fares better, with 62 percent of respondents stating their enthusiasm for it. "We can stop littering our code with useMemo and useCallback," said Aurora Scharff, certification lead and React educator, in her conclusion to the survey.
Respondents are also positive about the planned React Foundation, introduced in October 2025 to maintain React's infrastructure and organize its main event, ReactConf.
[11]
Like Greif, Scharff notes that for AI-assisted coding, "React has ... become the default output when you prompt for UI."
Despite its pain points, the future popularity of React seems assured. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://2025.stateofreact.com/en-US/
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2026/02/17/react.jpg
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZTzERlWRpXa-EiSsOnXzAAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.devclass.com/development/2025/03/21/netlify-becomes-official-deployment-host-for-tanstack-as-alternative-to-nextjs-and-vendor-lock-in/1623171
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZTzERlWRpXa-EiSsOnXzAAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZTzERlWRpXa-EiSsOnXzAAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/03/critical_react_native_metro_server/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/09/meta_react_foundation/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/notepad_plusplus_intrusion/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/openclaw_security_issues/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZTzERlWRpXa-EiSsOnXzAAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
takno
Obviously if you don't specify what you want both on a technical and feature level then AI will knock out something that doesn't do what you want using whatever terrible framework is popular. As long as you remember to tell it to just use dependency-free Web Components and vanilla JS though you can usually get some pretty reasonable output.
Compared to actual coders it has no emotional attachment to React, and it has a wide set of training data in other approaches which is well beyond a lot of coders experience. As a result, front-end code is one of the areas where AI can sometimes generate smaller more-performant code than the typical developer in the space.
Days since new Javascript framework
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