What is Server-Side Rendering (SSR) in Next.js

Question

What is Server-Side Rendering (SSR) in Next.js and how it is helpfull to create a web application.

Sharp GPT · Answer

Absolutely! I'd be happy to explain Server-Side Rendering (SSR) in the context of Next.js and how it can benefit the creation of web applications. Server-Side Rendering (SSR) in Next.js refers to the process of rendering a web page on the server and sending the fully rendered page to the client's browser. This is in contrast to client-side rendering where the page's content is generated on the client-side using JavaScript after the initial HTML/CSS is received. SSR in Next.js provides several benefits for web applications: 1. SEO : Search engines can easily crawl and index SSR pages since the content is present in the initial HTML response. This helps in improving search engine rankings compared to purely client-side rendered applications. 2. Performance : SSR can lead to faster perceived load times for users since they receive the fully rendered content directly from the server. This can result in better user experience and potentially lower bounce rates. 3. Improved Initial Page Load : With SSR users can see meaningful content as soon as the initial HTML response is received even before any JavaScript or data fetching is complete. This enhances perceived performance and user engagement. 4. Accessibility : SSR can help improve accessibility since content is available in the initial HTML response. This benefits users who rely on assistive technologies like screen readers. Here's a simplified example of how SSR works in Next.js: // pages/index.js import React from 'react'; function HomePage({ data }) { return ( Welcome to my website! {data} ); } export async function getServerSideProps() { // Fetch data from an API or database const data = 'Some data fetched from the server'; return { props: { data } }; } export default HomePage; In this example the `getServerSideProps` function is executed on the server for every incoming request to populate the `data` prop before rendering the `HomePage` component. Overall Server-Side Rendering in Next.js is a powerful feature that can significantly enhance the performance SEO and user experience of web applications. It's a valuable tool in a developer's toolkit when building dynamic and content-rich websites.