Glossary · web
SSR (Server-Side Rendering)
Definition
SSR (Server-Side Rendering) renders HTML on the server instead of the browser. The user receives ready HTML — faster LCP, better SEO, smaller JS bundle. Next.js, Remix, Nuxt make SSR the default.
Detailed explanation
Traditional SPA (CSR) ships empty HTML + JS to the browser; JS then draws UI — slow first paint + weak SEO. With SSR, the server prepares HTML and sends it; the browser starts rendering immediately (FCP <500ms).
4 approaches: SSR (per-request server render), SSG (build-time static HTML), ISR (Incremental Static — periodic re-render), CSR (browser-only). Next.js App Router supports all in 2026; SSR is default.
Pros: fast LCP (<1.5s achievable), SEO-friendly (Google bot reads HTML), small JS bundle. Cons: server cost (compute per request), TTFB slightly higher (~200-500ms).
Use cases
→E-commerce product pages (SEO + speed critical)
→Blog + content sites
→Brand vitrines + landing pages
→Personalized dashboards (user-specific SSR)
Pros
- +Fast LCP / FCP (<1.5s)
- +SEO-friendly (Google bot sees HTML)
- +Small JS bundle (30-50% smaller with RSC)
- +Edge runtime for global speed
Cons
- −Server cost (compute per request)
- −TTFB ~200-500ms (CSR 50ms)
- −Caching strategy more complex
- −Overkill for highly interactive apps (SPA better)
Related terms
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