To meet the demands of today’s web applications, they must have good performance, be search engine optimised, and provide a smooth user experience across devices. Unlike traditional client-side rendering, Next.js has a number of rendering methods that allow it to build more efficient websites. Among the methods listed above, Server-Side Rendering (SSR) is one of the most convenient for applications that require new data and improved search engine optimisation (SEO).
Choosing the right rendering strategy can significantly impact the application’s performance, scalability, and user satisfaction.
Let’s discuss how SSR works in Next.js, the pros and cons of using it, and when it’s most appropriate.
A] How SSR Works in Next.js
Client-side rendering renders the content using JavaScript downloaded by the browser, whereas in SSR, the HTML is created on the server when the user clicks on a page. The browser gets a fully rendered page, and after React hydrates it, it becomes interactive.
The overall structure is more or less like this:
- A user submits a request for a page.
- The server retrieves the needed data.
- Next.js renders the page to HTML.
- The HTML is created and sent to the browser.
- React updates the page and makes it interactive.
This improves the first page loading experience and gets content in front of users and search engines.
B] Why Use Server-side Rendering in Next.js
Dynamic content websites, personalised pages, news portals, SaaS apps, and eCommerce stores with a high volume of content updates can particularly benefit from SSR.
The difference with SSR is that every request will be served with the latest data, without necessarily having to rebuild.
Read this guide on Next.js pre-rendering and data fetching methods to understand how to use Next.js with different rendering methods.
Optimize Your Next.js Application for Maximum Performance
Optimize Your Next.js Application for Maximum Performance
C] Benefits of Server-side Rendering
The advantages of server-side rendering aren’t limited to faster page loading speeds.
1. Improved First Contentful Paint
Pre-rendered HTML is delivered to users for rendering by the browser before the JavaScript code is called.
2. Improved SEO
It is easy to have fully rendered HTML that can be indexed by search engines and improve the discoverability and indexing of the website.
3. Better User Experience
Users can watch content upfront with lesser bounce rate and higher engagement rates on slower devices or an unstable internet connection.
4. Dynamic Content Delivery
As opposed to static pages, SSR provides fresh content for every request, ideal for dashboards, product inventories, and personalised experiences.
A top software development company in India can help you harness these benefits effectively, with professional implementation.
D] Drawbacks of server-side rendering
1. Increased Server Load
It requires more CPU and machine resources since each request that arrives has to be processed to generate HTML.
2. Higher Infrastructure Costs
In cases of high workload, a more powerful server configuration or advanced caching techniques may be required to maintain optimal system performance.
3. Longer Development Complexity
Other architectural considerations besides client-rendered applications are server-side rendering, authentication, caching, and deployment.
4. Hydration Delays
Content is displayed immediately to the user, and the page is fully interactive only after hydration. This delay can be affected by large JavaScript files.
E] Next.js Performance Optimisation
Next.js performance optimisation is not a one-size-fits-all solution but a combination of SSR and other optimisations.
Examples of recommended practices are:
- Code splitting
- Image optimisation
- Lazy loading components
- Efficient API requests
- CDN integration
- Route-level caching
- Bundle size reduction
These enhancements help alleviate server load and still provide a great user experience.
For businesses looking for enterprise-level implementations, professional Next.js development services can help optimise application performance.
F] Common Challenges Developers Face
When developing Next.js applications, several common challenges of SSR in Next.js become apparent, especially in larger applications.
Developers in the development of a new application will encounter issues such as:
- Managing server-side authentication
- Controlling API response time.
- It is important to note that no data is required to be fetched twice.
- Debugging hydration mismatches
- Ability to scale up server resources during traffic peaks.
- It’s a compromise between SSR and static rendering.
These challenges can be addressed with careful architectural design with long-term scalability in mind.
G] Choosing the Right Rendering Strategy
The decision of when to use SSR in Next.js applications is highly dependent on the application you are creating.
SSR can be used for:
- News websites
- eCommerce platforms
- Booking systems
- Financial dashboards
- User-specific portals
- Applications that require live information.
For other types of content that change infrequently, like documentation sites or marketing landing pages, it may be better to use a Static Site Generation (SSG) approach.
If you’re considering the framework, check out this article on the pros and cons of using Next.js.
Build Faster, SEO-Friendly Web Applications with Next.js
Whether you need Server-Side Rendering, Static Site Generation, or a custom Next.js solution, our developers create secure and performance-driven applications tailored to your business goals.
H] Advanced Optimisation Techniques
The Next.js rendering optimisation techniques can greatly enhance scalability and save on server costs.
The best optimisation techniques are some of the following:
- Static Regeneration (ISR)
- Streaming rendering
- Response caching
- Edge rendering
- Selective hydration
- Temperatures were recorded with the use of servers as needed.
Combined, these techniques can enable developers to deliver fast experiences while investing little in infrastructure.
I] Why Next.js Remains a Preferred React Framework
Next.js is now one of the most popular options for modern web apps, as it’s a full-stack React framework. In addition to rendering, it has built-in routing, API routes, image optimisation, middleware, server actions, and deployment flexibility.
These capabilities make app development quicker and easier, allowing teams to build scalable, high-performance, and sustainable applications.
E] Conclusion
When SEO, dynamic content, and faster first page loads are crucial, server-side rendering is still a good feature of Next.js. The advantages of SSR can often be worth the added complexity and workload on the server, but it must be executed properly.
It is essential to select a rendering approach that is appropriate to the content, traffic, and business objectives of the application, not to all applications.