Server Actions in Production: WhatI Wish I Knew Sooner

Server Actions promised to remove an entire API layer. In production, the trade-offs are more interesting than the pitch.

Great for mutations, awkward for everything else

Forms and simple writes feel almost too easy. Complex client-driven flows still want a real endpoint.

Removing boilerplate is only a win if you don't have to reinvent it three components later.

The validation lesson

Never trust the client just because the action lives in the same file — every Server Action still needs to validate its input like a public API, because it is one.