Server-Side Rendering in Next.js

1. Introduction

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) in Next.js allows you to render your pages on the server instead of the client. This enhances performance and SEO by delivering fully rendered pages to the browser.

2. Key Concepts

**Rendering Methods**: Next.js supports SSR, Static Site Generation (SSG), and Client-Side Rendering (CSR).
**getServerSideProps**: A Next.js function that allows data fetching on the server side before rendering the page.
**SEO Benefits**: Pages are rendered as HTML, making them more accessible to search engines.

3. Implementation

3.1 Using getServerSideProps

To implement SSR in your Next.js application, you need to use the getServerSideProps function.


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

                    return {
                        props: { data }, // will be passed to the page component as props
                    };
                }

                export default function ExamplePage({ data }) {
                    return (
                        
                            Data from Server
                            {JSON.stringify(data, null, 2)}
                        
                    );
                }

4. Best Practices

Implement caching strategies to reduce server load.
Use getStaticProps where possible for pages that don’t require real-time data.
Keep your SSR logic clean and handle errors gracefully.

5. FAQ

What is the difference between SSR and SSG?

SSR fetches data on each request, while SSG generates static pages at build time.

When should I use SSR?

Use SSR for pages where data changes frequently or is user-specific.

Flowchart of Server-Side Rendering Process


        graph TD;
            A[User requests a page] --> B[Next.js server processes the request]
            B --> C{Does data exist?}
            C -->|Yes| D[Fetch data]
            C -->|No| E[Render page with default data]
            D --> F[Render page with fetched data]
            F --> G[Send rendered page to user]