Advantages and disadvantages of server side rendering in react.js -Frontend Interview Question
Tags: javascript, react, webdev, frontend
Published: 2023-03-01 16:52:11

Server-side rendering (SSR) in React.js is the process of rendering a web page on the server-side and sending the fully rendered HTML to the client browser. This is in contrast to the traditional client-side rendering (CSR) approach, where the HTML is generated by JavaScript running in the browser.

Server-side rendering (SSR) in React.js has several advantages and disadvantages, which are discussed below:
Advantages of Server-side Rendering in React.js:

1. Faster Initial Load Time: With server-side rendering, the initial HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files are preloaded on the server and sent to the browser as a complete HTML page, which results in a faster initial load time, especially for slow network connections. This can improve the user experience and reduce the bounce rate.

2. Improved SEO: Server-side rendering is beneficial for search engine optimization (SEO) as search engines can easily crawl the content of the pages, which can lead to better search engine rankings. SSR generates static HTML pages, which can be easily indexed by search engines, and provide better metadata for search engines to crawl.

3. Better Accessibility: Server-side rendering provides better accessibility as it ensures that content is available to users who might not have JavaScript enabled or are using a screen reader.

4. Improved Performance: Server-side rendering can improve the performance of your application as it reduces the time taken to download, parse and execute JavaScript files in the browser. This can lead to faster page loads and better user experience.

Disadvantages of Server-side Rendering in React.js:

1. Increased server load: Server-side rendering can increase the load on the server as the server needs to generate HTML pages for every request. This can result in increased server costs and decreased performance, especially for high-traffic websites.

2. More complex setup: Setting up server-side rendering can be more complex compared to client-side rendering as it requires additional infrastructure and configuration.

3. Delayed Interactivity: Server-side rendering can delay interactivity as the client-side JavaScript must be downloaded and parsed before user interaction can take place. This can result in a slower user experience, especially for complex applications.

4. Increased bandwidth usage: Server-side rendering can increase the amount of data transferred over the network, as the server needs to send the complete HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to the browser. This can result in increased bandwidth usage, which can be a problem for users with limited data plans or slow internet connections.

Concepts explained in video tutorial:

{% embed https://youtu.be/c8qO2W3lsMc %} 

In summary, server-side rendering in React.js has several advantages, such as faster initial load time, improved SEO, and better accessibility, but it also has some disadvantages, such as increased server load, more complex setup, delayed interactivity, and increased bandwidth usage. The choice to use server-side rendering or not depends on the specific needs and requirements of your application.