177 - Server-Side Rendering with React (Next.js) (Javascript)

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) – Server-Side Rendering with React (Next.js)

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) is a technique that allows you to render web pages on the server and send fully rendered HTML to the client’s browser. This approach can improve performance, search engine optimization (SEO), and the user experience. React, a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces, can be used for SSR, and Next.js is a framework that simplifies the process. In this guide, we’ll explore how to perform server-side rendering with React using Next.js.

Setting Up a Next.js Project

To get started with server-side rendering in React using Next.js, you first need to set up a Next.js project. You can create a new Next.js app by running the following commands:


npx create-next-app my-ssr-app
cd my-ssr-app
npm run dev

This will create a new Next.js project and start the development server. You can access the app at http://localhost:3000.

Creating a Server-Side Rendered Page

Next.js simplifies the process of creating SSR pages. To create an SSR page, you need to export a React component from a file in the pages directory. This component will be server-side rendered by Next.js. For example, create a file named ssr-page.js in the pages directory:


// pages/ssr-page.js

import React from 'react';

function SSRPage() {
  return <div>This is a server-side rendered page</div>;
}

export default SSRPage;

Now, when you access http://localhost:3000/ssr-page, you’ll see the content rendered on the server.

Data Fetching in Server-Side Rendering

One of the advantages of server-side rendering is the ability to fetch data on the server and send it to the client along with the HTML. You can use Next.js’s getServerSideProps function to fetch data on the server before rendering the page. Here’s an example:


// pages/ssr-page.js

import React from 'react';

function SSRPage({ data }) {
  return <div>Data from the server: {data}</div>;
}

export async function getServerSideProps() {
  const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data');
  const data = await res.json();

  return {
    props: { data },
  };
}

export default SSRPage;

The getServerSideProps function fetches data from an API and passes it as a prop to the SSRPage component. This data will be available when the page is server-side rendered.

SEO Benefits

Server-side rendering can significantly improve SEO for your web applications. Search engines can crawl and index the fully rendered HTML content, which is essential for ranking in search results. With server-side rendering, your pages are more likely to rank well in search engines like Google.

Improved Performance

SSR can also lead to better initial page load performance. When a user requests a page, they receive a fully rendered HTML document, which can be faster to load compared to an empty shell that fetches data and renders content on the client side. This leads to a smoother user experience, especially on slower connections or less powerful devices.

Client-Side Hydration

Next.js uses a technique known as “client-side hydration” to make your server-rendered pages interactive. After the initial HTML is sent to the client, React takes over and attaches event handlers and data-binding to make the page interactive. This ensures a seamless transition from server-side rendering to client-side interactivity.

Conclusion

Server-side rendering with React using Next.js is a powerful approach to enhance your web applications. It improves SEO, performance, and user experience by delivering fully rendered HTML to clients. By leveraging the getServerSideProps function, you can fetch data on the server and make it available to your components. This combination of benefits makes SSR a valuable technique for modern web development.

177 – Server-Side Rendering with React (Next.js) (Javascript)