Unlocking Client-Side Hydration: A Comprehensive Guide to SSR and Transforming Static Markup into Dynamic Web Applications
Server-side rendering (SSR) is an essential technique for optimizing web applications, ensuring faster page loads, improving search engine optimization (SEO), and delivering a better user experience. However, the process of client-side hydration can be complex and confusing, particularly for developers new to the concept. This article aims to demystify client-side hydration by providing a detailed, step-by-step explanation of the process on both the server and browser.
Before diving into client-side hydration, it is essential to grasp the concepts of server-side rendering (SSR) and client-side rendering (CSR).
SSR is a technique in which a web application’s initial HTML is generated on the server, resulting in a fully rendered page being sent to the client’s browser. This approach ensures faster page loads and improved SEO since search engines can crawl the page content more efficiently.
CSR, on the other hand, renders the web page’s content in the user’s browser using JavaScript. While CSR can offer a more dynamic and interactive user experience, it may result in slower initial page loads and less efficient crawling by search engines.
