What is Server-Side Rendering (SSR)?
A technique where web pages are rendered on the server instead of the browser, delivering a fully populated HTML page to the user.
Deep Dive
In traditional SPAs (Single Page Apps), the browser downloads a blank page and fills it with JavaScript. With SSR (used by Next.js), the server does the heavy lifting.
This is crucial for SEO because search engine bots get complete content immediately without needing to execute JavaScript.
Key Takeaways
- Better SEO than Client-Side Rendering.
- Faster First Contentful Paint (FCP).
- Core feature of Next.js.
- Increases server load compared to static sites.
Why This Matters Now
The web used to be simple: the server sent HTML, and the browser showed it. Then came React/Vue, and we started sending heavy JavaScript bundles that forced the user's phone to build the page.
SSR returns to the roots but keeps the power. It builds the page on a powerful server in milliseconds, sending the user a ready-to-read document instantly. It's the best of both worlds.
Common Myths & Misconceptions
It's always faster than Client-Side Rendering.
Reality:Not always. It's faster for the *first* load. But once the app is loaded, Client-Side navigation is usually snappier because it doesn't need to talk to the server again.
Google can't read Client-Side apps.
Reality:It can, but it's slower and less reliable. SSR guarantees Google sees your content instantly, every time.
Real-World Use Cases
E-commerce Product Pages: Where SEO is life-or-death and prices change constantly.
News Sites: Where articles change minute-by-minute and speed is critical.
Social Media Feeds: Where the content snippet needs to look perfect when shared on Twitter/Facebook.
Frequently Asked Questions
SSR vs Static Site Generation (SSG)?
SSR builds the page on *every request* (dynamic). SSG builds the page *once* at build time (static). Use SSG for blogs; use SSR for dashboards.
Is it expensive?
Slightly. Since you need a server running 24/7 (Node.js), it costs more than just hosting static files on a CDN.
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