Vercel: The Web Rewriter or a New Dark Lord?

Hey, it’s him again. The Dark Lord Voldemort once spoke through Quirrell, saying:

“There is no good and evil. There is only power, and those too weak to seek it.”

A few years ago, he knew Vercel as a newcomer hosting simple React sites. But today, Vercel is growing at a pace that cannot be ignored. Looking deeper, he realized Vercel is not just Next.js, Turbopack, v0, and hosting: it is an ideology, a sect, and perhaps a dark force, by Lord Voldemort’s definition.

Here is the outline to prevent everyone from losing their way:

• The shady birth of RSC
• The dark relationship between Next.js, React, and Tailwind
• The ace card: v0.dev
• The open confrontation with giants like Google and Cloudflare
• The future of React

The Shady Birth of React Server Components (RSC)

Since its inception, React has always been understood as a client-side View layer. Yet, React introduced React Server Components, and Next.js adopted RSC remarkably fast: as if they had prepared for it beforehand. Initially, he thought this was a coincidence, but deeper research revealed it was intentional, making him wary of this dark relationship.

RSC is not just a new feature: it is a revolution, but also a purge. Libraries that were pillars of the React ecosystem, like styled-components or CSS-in-JS solutions, suddenly became legacy, incompatible with RSC’s server-centric model. React took a sharp turn, and the primary beneficiary is Next.js, backed by Vercel.

React, once a symbol of freedom, seems to have sold half its soul to the devil.

The Dark Relationship Between Next.js, React, and Tailwind

Next.js, React, Tailwind: a perfect trio, a sturdy tripod, or a gold ring tightening its grip on the web? This relationship is not just technical: it is a grand scheme, an ideology shaping how developers think and work. Vercel is not conquering the world by force: they are spreading a philosophy of simplicity, speed, and dependency.

Next.js is no longer just a framework: it is a sect where developers are drawn into a loop of convenience but lose their freedom of choice. Vercel doesn’t force you, but they make you feel that not choosing them is a mistake. Developers now stand at a crossroads: Vercel, Netlify, Firebase, or AWS. Each choice is a declaration of loyalty to an ecosystem, deeply affecting how they build the web.

He once joked that in Vietnam, democracy is when you are free to vote, but there is only one candidate on the ballot. Will this relationship lead to a future where Vercel is the only choice?

The Ace Card: v0.dev

If Next.js, React, and Tailwind are the power trio, v0.dev is the sharp blade completing Vercel’s plan. With a few prompts or a Figma design, v0.dev can generate high-quality websites in a flash, all based on Next.js, React, and Tailwind. This is not just a tool: it is a declaration of war against traditional web development.

Developers, who once dreamed of superpowers, are now handed divine strength by v0.dev. Features that previously required a team two sprints to complete are now done in a few clicks. Combined with Cursor or Windsurf, v0.dev turns developers into creative masters but also makes them more dependent than ever on the Vercel ecosystem.

He looks at v0.dev and sees a future where websites bear the mark of Vercel: uniform, efficient, but lacking diversity. Is this the peak of progress, or the first step toward an autocratic web?

The Open Confrontation with Giants: Cloudflare and Google

Vercel is not stopping at tools: they are challenging giants. With its CDN and Analytics, Vercel openly confronts Google Analytics and Cloudflare. Some might say: “But Segment has analytics too, what’s new?” Yes, but Segment targets a niche, whereas Vercel wants to dominate the mass market where Google and Cloudflare reign.

Either Vercel is naive, or they are backed by forces strong enough to challenge these giants. He leans toward the latter. Vercel knows: whoever controls the Edge controls the world. With CDN and Analytics, Vercel has declared its ambition. They do not just host: they measure the web. Is Vercel building the ultimate weapon for a grand war against the ancient giants?

The Future of React

React, once the banner of innovation, now stands at a precipice. Having sold its soul to Vercel, React has lost its neutrality and its appeal to independent developers. The decline of major libraries like styled-components, along with community disappointment over RSC, points to a dark future.

It is easy to see the gradual departure of developers. They no longer see React as a symbol of freedom. A major leap from other frameworks like Svelte or Vue, or a revolution from WebAssembly, could leave React behind. In the near future, he will not be working with React, so he leaves React’s fate to heaven.

He prefers a future with many options, and you?

❤️ cowriter aethery