What is Server-Side Rendering in React?

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) in React is a technique that involves rendering React components on the server side instead of the client side (browser). Traditionally, React applications are rendered on the client side, meaning that the browser downloads the JavaScript bundle, executes it, and renders the UI. In contrast, with SSR, the server pre-renders the React components into HTML before sending it to the client.

Benefits of Server-Side Rendering:

• Improved Initial Page Load Performance: SSR can improve the initial page load performance by sending a fully-rendered HTML page to the client. This can result in faster perceived load times, especially for users with slower internet connections or devices.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Search engines often struggle with indexing content rendered on the client side using JavaScript. SSR provides a solution by sending pre-rendered HTML to search engines, making it easier for them to crawl and index the content. This improves the SEO of React applications.
• Enhanced User Experience: Users might see content quicker, as the server can send a partially or fully rendered page while the client-side JavaScript is still loading. This can result in a more interactive and engaging user experience.
• Support for Browsers with Limited JavaScript: SSR ensures that your application is accessible to users with browsers that have limited or disabled JavaScript support. By delivering pre-rendered HTML, the content is still viewable even if the client cannot execute JavaScript.

To implement SSR in a React application, developers can use frameworks like Next JS, which simplifies the process and provides built-in support for Server-Side Rendering. Next JS abstracts many of the complexities associated with SSR, making it easier for developers to adopt this technique in their projects.