What's actually new in React 20 — and what to ignore

Every major React release arrives with a wave of hot takes. This one is no different — so here is the boring, useful version: what changes your day-to-day code, and what is mostly conference material.

The short list that matters: compiler-driven memoization is now the default mental model, server components are boring (in the best way), and the new profiler finally answers "why did this re-render" without a browser extension.

// before: manual memo everywhere
const Row = memo(({ item }) => <Cell v={item} />)

// after: write it naive, let the compiler prove it
const Row = ({ item }) => <Cell v={item} />

Everything else — the experimental flags, the renamed internals, the debates — can wait. Ship first, refactor when the ecosystem settles.

Adopt what removes code from your repo. Ignore what adds ceremony.