Shipping Reusable Full-Stack Components with Fran Zekan

Fran Zekan, an engineer from Croatia with experience in hardware, robotics, and web development, joins Kent to discuss his talk, Shipping Reusable Full-Stack Components. Fran explains how React Server Components (RSCs) allow developers to build truly self-contained, reusable full-stack features—something that has long been a staple in the Rails ecosystem with Rails Engines.

In this conversation, Fran and Kent discuss:

• How RSCs simplify full-stack development by eliminating the need for multiple setup steps.
• Comparisons between RSCs and Rails Engines, and how they bring backend-like encapsulation to React.
• Real-world examples, including a Stripe Checkout component that can be dropped into any app.
• The evolution of scaling strategies across different web frameworks, from serverless to Astro’s CDN-first approach.
• The future of modular, scalable web apps and the potential for Rails-to-React migration.

Fran also shares why he prioritizes in-person conferences, the value of deep technical discussions, and why he believes the Epic Web Conf community is a perfect space for these conversations.

Watch this episode.

Meet Fran at Epic Web Conf.

Guest: Fran Zekan

• 𝕏: @Zeko369
• GitHub: @Zeko369

Host: Kent C. Dodds

• Website: kentcdodds.com
• 𝕏: @kentcdodds
• GitHub: @kentcdodds
• YouTube: Kent C. Dodds
• Epic Web: epicweb.dev