Understanding Server Side Rendering (SSR) with Next.js

Server Side Rendering (SSR) is a popular technique in modern web development, offering improved performance and better SEO for web applications. Among the various frameworks available for SSR, Next.js stands out as a powerful and flexible option.

What is Server Side Rendering (SSR)?

SSR is a method of rendering web pages on the server instead of in the browser. This approach allows the server to send a fully rendered page to the client, making the content immediately visible to both users and search engine crawlers.

Advantages of SSR

• SEO Friendly: Search engines can crawl SSR pages more effectively.
• Faster Load Times: Users see the content faster as the browser doesn't need to render the page.
• Consistent Performance: Server resources can be more predictable and manageable.

Next.js: A Robust Framework for SSR

Next.js is a React-based framework that provides an easy-to-use solution for SSR. It has gained popularity due to its simplicity and feature-rich environment.

Key Features of Next.js

• Automatic Page-Based Routing: Next.js uses a file system-based routing mechanism.
• API Routes: Easily create API endpoints as part of your Next.js application.
• Built-in CSS and TailwindCSS Support: Supports CSS/TailwindCSS Modules out of the box.
• Zero Config: Ready to use with minimal setup.

Implementing SSR with Next.js

Implementing SSR in Next.js is straightforward. Pages in the app directory are automatically server-rendered. Here's a simple example:

export default async function HomePage() {
    const {data, error} = await getData()

    return (
        <div>
            <p>Welcome to SSR with Next.js!</p>
            <div>{data}</div>
        </div>
    )
}

Because this component is rendered on the server, the getData() function will be executed on the server as well. The result will be sent to the client as part of the initial HTML response.

Conclusion

SSR, especially when combined with a framework like Next.js, provides a robust solution for building fast and SEO-friendly web applications. Its simplicity and flexibility make it an excellent choice for modern web development.