A missing 'use client' boundary can undermine the code-splitting a developer expects from next/dynamic. Daniel Pertu reports that a game route in his Next.js app loaded about 2.6 MB of JavaScript despite using a dynamic registry for 165 games. His diagnosis was that the registry was evaluated from a Server Component; his fix moved game selection into a small Client Component. The figures and explanation describe Pertu’s app, not a general Next.js benchmark or a reproduced test.
What happened in Pertu’s Next.js app
Pertu describes a site with 165 practice games, each implemented as a React component with its own engine and state; some also used canvas. A registry mapped each game ID to a next/dynamic import. Yet the /games/<id> route had a first load of about 2.6 MB of JavaScript, according to his article.
In Pertu’s account, the registry had no 'use client' directive and was imported by a Server Component page. Because the registry selected among game components at runtime, he says the build had to account for all of those client components, and the dynamic imports did not give the intended per-game isolation. That is his explanation of this application’s module graph and build—not a rule that applies identically to every Next.js version, bundler, or project.
Why the client boundary matters
Next.js defines 'use client' as a directive that marks a Client Component entry point and establishes a boundary between the server and client module graphs. It is needed in files that serve as entry points rendered directly from Server Components, not in every component file. Imports below a client entry point become part of the client bundle, so the boundary should be kept focused. See the Next.js 'use client' reference and its Server and Client Components guide.
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This distinction matters because a file containing React components is not automatically a client entry point. Where a registry is evaluated determines which module graph it belongs to. Meanwhile, next/dynamic is a mechanism for lazy-loading Client Components and imported libraries; it can reduce the JavaScript needed for a route, but it does not guarantee a particular chunk layout for every runtime-selected registry. Next.js describes the feature in its lazy-loading guide.
How Pertu changed the design
Pertu’s proposed fix was to move the registry into the client module graph by adding 'use client', then place the dynamic lookup in a small GameRunner Client Component that receives a game ID. The Server Component page can still resolve the requested game, perform access and play-budget checks, and create metadata before rendering that client entry point.
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The server passes the selected ID; the client looks up and loads the interactive implementation. This means the server cannot call getGameComponent from that client-side registry. As Pertu puts it: “The consequence for callers: a Server Component can no longer call getGameComponent. Pass the game id to GameRunner instead.”
This split keeps entitlement decisions and other server-only work on the server while handing interactive component resolution to the client. Props passed from a Server Component to a Client Component need to be serializable, as the Next.js component guide explains. The appropriate boundary depends on an app’s data and security model; moving a lookup to the client should not move authorization decisions with it.
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How to check whether a route loads too much JavaScript
- Build the production app. Run
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- Compare the payload with the feature used. Consider whether the requested code matches what the route actually needs. A large increase after an unrelated feature is added can be a useful clue, but it does not by itself prove a client-boundary problem.
Pertu’s takeaway was that “next/dynamic is not a promise, it is a request.” In practical terms, treat dynamic loading as an instruction to the framework and verify the production build and browser requests to see what your application actually sends.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the reported numbers do—and do not—show
The 165 games and approximately 2.6 MB of first-load JavaScript are Pertu’s app-specific figures. His article does not establish a measured post-fix size or a percentage improvement, and the figures are not a controlled before-and-after result or a benchmark for Next.js applications generally. Framework behavior and documentation can also change between releases; check the guidance for your Next.js version and confirm the result in your own production build.
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