Every click on your website is the beginning of a chain. When a site visitor requests a specific page, your website’s server responds by delivering something the browser can display—typically static HTML with a doctype HTML declaration that defines the structure of the page (the look, feel, and user interface).
There are two places where content rendering can happen: on the client side or the server side. In client-side rendering, the user’s computer receives a minimal HTML file, and the client’s browser (such as Google Chrome or Safari) does most of the work, running JavaScript to build and display the page. In server-side rendering, the page is fully assembled on the server before being sent to the browser, so the user receives a complete, ready-to-display page. In this article, we’ll focus on the latter—rendering content server-side.
What is server-side rendering?
Server-side rendering (SSR) is a process where a web server gathers all the necessary data, layout, and user interface elements of a web page, then assembles them into a complete HTML file before sending it to the user’s web browser. The result is a fully rendered page that is ready to display. This approach leads to fast loading times with SEO-optimized pages that benefit both visitors and search engine bots.
For example, imagine you run a news website. When a user clicks on a link to read an article, a server-side rendering framework fetches data from a database or an API, quickly compiles the pre-rendered HTML content (including layout and user interface elements like headlines, bylines, the publish date, related articles, navigational menus, and ad spots), and delivers it to the user’s browser. The browser then displays the fully rendered page. Afterward, the browser can “hydrate” the page with more dynamic content, such as loading comments or upvotes, using JavaScript to make the page interactive.
SSR is particularly useful for sites that rely heavily on organic search for traffic (since pre-rendered pages are easier for search engines to crawl) and rely on fast load speeds to keep users engaged; this includes ecommerce product pages. And it’s not like SSR and client-side rendering (CSR) are incompatible—often, both are used for specific purposes. For example, an ecommerce store might use SSR for product pages but use CSR for checkout.
Benefits of server-side rendering
- Faster first impressions
- Better SEO performance
- Improved accessibility
- Ideal for dynamic content
- Reduce JavaScript load
Here are more ways server-side rendering can improve your website’s performance:
Faster first impressions
With server-side rendering, the web server does the heavy lifting and delivers a fully rendered HTML page immediately to the user’s browser. Users don’t have to wait for JavaScript to download and render (like they would with client-side rendering) before they see the content they want. This experience, also known as “first paint,” can be vital to keeping users on the page they requested, which can help them feel more trust toward your site and brand. This is even more important for users on slower devices or mobile networks, where a CSR page may look blank for several seconds.
Better SEO performance
Search engine visibility is essential for driving traffic to your site, and server-side rendering can significantly improve how your site ranks. Search engines like Google index your content by reading your HTML with their bots. That means an SSR page is already in the ideal format for Google to read and includes elements like headings, links, image alt text, and metadata, all of which Google uses to rank websites. You can make it easier for Google to crawl your pages with client-side rendering, but it can take a lot of extra workarounds and potentially expensive third-party tools.
Improved accessibility
Server-side rendering makes it easier for folks who use screen readers or other assistive technologies. Since the initial page load includes the full HTML content (rather than a blank template that depends on JavaScript to load), assistive tools can immediately access and interpret the information. Even better, if some of your users have JavaScript disabled (or use older browsers without modern JavaScript capabilities), they’ll still see a functional page.
Having a more accessible website also means you’ll be able to comply with accessibility standards like WCAG, particularly important if you’re in a regulated field like education, government, or health care.
Ideal for dynamic content
If your website has a lot of content that changes often, like a blog or a news site, SSR is ideal. You can combine real-time data via APIs with the fast delivery offered by SSR. This gives you the fresh feel of client-side rendering while offering speed and SEO improvements via the server-rendered HTML. Your users’ browsers won’t have to do all the work of pulling in data after page load, making it seem fast and keeping it search-engine-friendly.
Reduce JavaScript load
While client-side rendering relies on lots of JavaScript bundles, these can bog down mobile users and those on older devices. SSR does all the heavy lifting before the browser, so JavaScript isn’t needed up front. This also benefits users in areas with slower network speeds or more limited devices, helping you reach a broader, more global audience.
Drawbacks to server-side rendering
Drawbacks to server-side rendering include:
Longer time to first byte (TTFB)
Server-side rendering relies on the web server to get all the data needed and render a full HTML web page before it can deliver it to the user. This means there could be a noticeable delay between the time the browser requests the page and when it finally starts to get that content. This is called time to first byte. Without caching strategies, this latency can happen on every page load, especially for sites with more complicated data-fetching needs, leading to server bottlenecks.
More complex infrastructure and deployment
To use server-side rendering, you’ll need a live server environment that can render pages on the fly. This requires more infrastructure and possibly DevOps support. Unlike static sites, which serve pre-built HTML with minimal database or API requirements, SSR sites need a runtime like Node.js and hosting that supports server functions, such as Vercel, Netlify Edge, or Render. Managing server uptime, scaling for higher traffic, and handling issues like cold starts can add complexity and may require a dedicated developer team.
Heavier server load
Server-side rendering requires lots of CPU resources from your web server, as it renders pages every time a user requests one. As your site gets more traffic, it will need more and more compute resources. This can lead to higher hosting costs, potential server crashes due to heavy traffic, and slower load times as the server becomes overwhelmed.
How to implement server-side rendering
Server-side rendering takes place entirely on your web server. When a user types a URL or clicks a link, the browser sends a request to the server. The server gathers the necessary data—pulling from external sources or internal databases—and loads all the required interface elements, such as logos, navigational menus, and other layout components. The server then compiles all this into a complete HTML page and sends it back to the user’s browser. The resulting page is fully rendered and readable immediately; no JavaScript loading required (as in client-side rendering).
If you’re an entrepreneur looking to implement server-side rendering on your website, there are a few steps you’ll need to take.
Select an SSR framework
First, you’ll need to choose the right developer tools, or server-side rendering frameworks. For example, Shopify Hydrogen is a React-based framework that offers SSR, CSR, and other options. Next.js is another fairly well-documented and widely adopted SSR framework, but SvelteKit, Nuxt.js, and Astro are also often used.
Set up your development stack
This is the set of tools, frameworks, programming languages, and services you’ll use to build and run a web application with server-side rendering. This can include front-end frameworks to handle the user interface and server-side rendering, along with client-side JavaScript, and the programming language (typically JavaScript or TypeScript).
You’ll also need a code editor (like VS Code), a hosting platform with built-in SSR support like Vercell or Netlify, and a CMS, if you’re serving your own content to the web. CMS examples include Sanity, Contentful, or the open-source Strapi.
Hire a designer
Setting up an SSR can be complex. You may want to hire a professional web developer with experience in server-side frameworks. An experienced professional can help you choose the right technologies and optimize performance, as well as design, build, and configure the back-end system for your site.
Consider reaching out to freelancers via Upwork, Toptal, and Gun.io. You can also bring on a Jamstack-focused agency that specializes in building websites processing server-side JavaScript, APIs, and Markup, or agencies that work with headless CMS (this decouples the content back end from the website front end).
What is server-side rendering FAQ
Do I need server-side rendering, or is client-side enough?
It depends on what kind of site you’re building. If you want to land quickly, do well in search engine optimization, or serve fresh dynamic content, SSR is a great solution. Examples of sites that benefit from server side rendering include: storefronts with product pages you want to rank on Google, blogs or magazine sites, marketing sites where a strong first impression is important, and pages with frequently updated content. For Shopify store owners, using Shopify’s headless commerce framework, Hydrogen, allows for a hybrid approach that uses SSR and CSR.
What is the downside of server-side rendering?
Ultimately, server-side rendering adds complexity to your web server infrastructure. You’ll need a powerful server to dynamically generate pages on the fly, which can mean somewhat longer response times. Server-side rendering sites can break under high traffic, so you’ll need to plan more around caching and scalability.
Which is better, SSR or CSR?
Both strategies for rendering web pages have advantages and disadvantages, and the one you choose will be based on the needs of the site you want to create. Use server-side rendering when you want to focus on SEO, enable fast load times for quick conversions, or serve content-rich pages quickly, or if your site features frequently changing data, like a blog, ecommerce site, or a review site. Use client-side rendering when you’re building a web app and not a content site, when SEO is less of a concern (like a user dashboard), and you want a site with fewer moving parts and a faster setup for developers.