Building Frontend Systems That Don’t Collapse: Lessons From React, Next.js, and TypeScript
React, Next.js, and TypeScript make it easy to ship fast—but also easy to create frontend complexity. This post shares practical principles for building maintainable UI systems that scale with teams and product change.
Building Frontend Systems That Don’t Collapse: Lessons From React, Next.js, and TypeScript
Modern frontend development has never been more powerful—or more fragile.
With React, Next.js, and TypeScript, it’s easy to move fast. It’s also easy to build systems that become painful to maintain six months later.
This post isn’t about frameworks. It’s about how to use them without creating accidental complexity.
The Problem Isn’t React — It’s How We Use It
React gives us incredible flexibility. That flexibility is often abused.
Common failure modes I see repeatedly:
- Components doing too much
- State scattered everywhere
- Business logic buried inside JSX
- “Reusable” abstractions no one understands
React doesn’t enforce architecture. That responsibility falls entirely on the team.
Components Should Be Boring
The best React components are:
- Small
- Predictable
- Easy to delete
If a component:
- Fetches data
- Manages complex state
- Transforms business rules
- Handles side effects
…it’s probably doing too much.
Components should describe what happens, not why it happens.
Move Logic Out of Components
One of the most impactful decisions you can make is where logic lives.
Good places for logic:
- Custom hooks
- Domain-specific utilities
- Server actions (in Next.js)
- Backend services
Bad places:
- Inline JSX
- useEffect chains
- Event handlers with 100+ lines
Cleaner separation makes refactoring possible.
TypeScript Is a Design Tool, Not a Safety Net
Most teams underuse TypeScript.
TypeScript isn’t just for catching bugs. It’s for encoding decisions.
Use it to:
- Model domain concepts
- Make illegal states unrepresentable
- Communicate intent to future engineers
- Reduce the need for comments
If your types are vague, your system will be too.
Next.js Changes How You Should Think
Next.js isn’t “React with routing.” It’s an opinionated platform.
Some mindset shifts:
- The server is your friend again
- Not everything belongs in the client
- Data fetching is a first-class concern
- Boundaries matter more than ever
Pushing logic back to the server reduces bundle size, complexity, and client-side bugs.
Prefer Fewer Patterns, Used Consistently
Consistency beats cleverness.
A codebase with:
- One way to fetch data
- One way to handle forms
- One way to manage state
…is far easier to scale than one with “the best tool for every problem.”
Pick boring defaults. Enforce them.
Performance Comes From Architecture, Not Memoization
If your app is slow, the fix usually isn’t:
- useMemo
- useCallback
- Memoized everything
Performance issues typically come from:
- Over-fetching data
- Poor component boundaries
- Excessive re-renders
- Too much client-side state
Good architecture makes performance optimizations obvious—and often unnecessary.
Frontend Systems Age Quickly
Frontend code has a short half-life.
Libraries change. APIs evolve. Design systems get replaced.
The goal isn’t to future-proof. The goal is to make change cheap.
That means:
- Simple abstractions
- Clear ownership
- Easy deletion
- Strong typing
What I Optimize for Today
When building frontend systems, I prioritize:
- Clarity over cleverness
- Types over comments
- Server-first thinking
- Predictable patterns
- Easy refactors
A frontend that’s easy to change is more valuable than one that’s technically impressive.
Final Thoughts
React, Next.js, and TypeScript are incredible tools. But tools don’t build systems—engineers do.
If your frontend feels fragile, it’s rarely a framework problem. It’s almost always an architectural one.
Build boring components. Move logic out of JSX. Let types do the heavy lifting. Use the server.
Your future self will thank you.
— Harsh