Why React Query Breaks in Next.js App Router — And How I Finally Fixed It

Description

In this video, I share the exact issue I faced while using React Query inside a Next.js App Router project. My caching wasn’t working, the UI kept flickering, and sometimes the data was null or delayed. After days of debugging and reading documentation, I finally discovered the root problem: React Query and Next.js server components don’t work well together when your data fetching is supposed to happen on the server. I removed React Query completely and moved all fetching to server components. And surprisingly, everything started working perfectly — no flicker, no blank screens, no inconsistent data. If you’re struggling with caching, hydration issues, or strange UI behavior in Next.js, this video will save you a lot of time. What you’ll learn: • Why React Query behaves unexpectedly in Next.js App Router • Why server-side fetching is more stable • How to pass server-fetched data into client components • A simple and reliable pattern for data-heavy projects