Server Side Rendering vs Client Side Rendering

Server-side rendering (SSR) and client-side rendering (CSR) are two different approaches to rendering web applications, and they each have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Below, I’ll outline the pros and cons of both Server-side rendering and Client-side rendering in the context of React. Google’s Rendering on the Web article compares these approaches in depth.

Server-side Rendering (SSR):

Pros:

1. Initial Page Load: SSR sends a fully rendered page to the client, which means that the user can see content sooner because the server generates the HTML on the initial request.
2. SEO-Friendly: Search engines can easily crawl and index the content because the page is delivered with all the necessary markup. This is particularly important for content-heavy applications.
3. Performance for Low-Powered Devices: SSR can perform better on low-powered devices or slow network connections because the server sends pre-rendered HTML.
4. Graceful Degradation: If JavaScript fails to load or is slow, the user still sees the server-rendered content, although interactive features won’t work until the JavaScript runs.

Cons:

1. Server Load and TTFB: SSR puts a higher load on the server because it renders the page for each request, and the Time to First Byte (TTFB) increases because the server... premium content.