Server-Side Rendering (SSR) vs Client-Side Rendering (CSR) — What's the Difference?
SSR renders a page's HTML on the server and sends complete markup to the browser; CSR sends a mostly empty HTML shell and renders the page in the browser using JavaScript after it loads.
Published October 5, 2026
SSR renders a page's HTML on the server and sends complete markup to the browser; CSR sends a mostly empty HTML shell and renders the page in the browser using JavaScript after it loads.
Why they differ
- SSR typically shows meaningful content to the user (and search engine crawlers) faster, since the browser doesn't need to download and run JavaScript first
- CSR can offer smoother subsequent navigation once the app is loaded, since further page changes don't require a full server round trip
How to choose
- Prefer SSR (or static generation) for content where fast initial load and SEO matter most, like marketing pages and articles
- CSR often fits highly interactive, app-like experiences where the initial load cost is paid once and subsequent interactions stay fast
FAQ
Can an app use both?
Yes — many modern frameworks (like Next.js) support rendering some pages on the server and others fully client-side within the same application, choosing per page.