Zero-Bundle-Size React Server Components (RSC): Architecture Demystified

React Server Components (RSC) represent the biggest architectural shift in React's history. Unlike traditional Server-Side Rendering (SSR)—which renders HTML on the server but requires shipping the full component JavaScript bundle to the browser for hydration—RSCs execute exclusively on the server and emit a compact JSON-like stream (the RSC Payload) with zero client-side bundle size footprint.