Building with Next.js means choosing how and where your pages get rendered. Each strategy trades off between performance, SEO, data freshness, and server cost — and picking the right one for each page makes a real difference. Before we dive in, one important thing: **Next.js App Router defaults to React Server Components (RSC)**. Every component renders on the server and ships zero JavaScript to the client unless you explicitly add `'use client'`. This is fundamentally different from the old Pages Router — and it shapes how all four rendering strategies work today. --- ### 1. Client-Side Rendering (CSR) In App Router, pure CSR is actually something you opt into. You mark a component with `'use client'`, and it hydrates on the client after the initial server render. ```tsx 'use client' import { useState, useEffect } from 'react' export default function Dashboard() { const [stats, setStats] = useState(null) useEffect(() => { fetch('/api/stats').then(res => res.json()).then(setStats) }, []) if (!stats) return

return

{stats.totalUsers} users

} ``` **Data flow:** Client → Server (sends pre-rendered HTML + JS bundle) → Client (hydrates) → API → Client (re-renders with data) Note that even `'use client'` components get server-rendered HTML on first load — the browser doesn't see a blank page. But the data fetching still happens on the client after hydration. **Best for:** Interactive widgets, dashboards, authenticated areas — anywhere you need browser APIs or real-time state. --- ### 2. Server-Side Rendering (SSR) In App Router, SSR happens when a Server Component fetches data dynamically. By default, `fetch()` requests are cached — to opt into per-request rendering, you use `cache: 'no-store'` or mark the page as dynamic. ```tsx // app/news/page.tsx — renders fresh on every request export const dynamic = 'force-dynamic' export default async function NewsPage() { const res = await fetch('https://api.example.com/news', { cache: 'no-store', }) const articles = await res.json() return (

{a.title}

) } ``` **Data flow:** Client → Server → Database/API → Server (builds HTML) → Client (displays immediately) The user sees a complete page right away, and search engines get fully rendered content. The trade-off is that every request hits the server. **Best for:** Pages where content changes on every request — news feeds, user profiles, search results. --- ### 3. Static Site Generation (SSG) SSG pre-renders pages at build time. In App Router, this is the default behavior — if your page doesn't fetch dynamic data, it's automatically static. For dynamic routes, you use `generateStaticParams()` to tell Next.js which paths to pre-build. ```tsx // app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx — pre-rendered at build time export async function generateStaticParams() { const posts = await getAllPostSlugs() return posts.map(slug => ({ slug })) } export default async function BlogPost({ params }: { params: { slug: string } }) { const post = await getPost(params.slug) return

{post.content}

} ``` **Data flow:** Build time: Server → API/Database → Static HTML generated Request time: Client → CDN (serves pre-built page instantly) This is as fast as it gets. The content is frozen at build time — if your data changes, users see stale content until the next deploy. This very site uses SSG for blog posts — the content lives in MDX files and only changes when I push a new commit. **Best for:** Blog posts, documentation, marketing pages — content that changes infrequently. --- ### 4. Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) ISR combines the speed of SSG with the ability to update content without a full redeploy. You export a `revalidate` interval, and Next.js serves the cached page until it expires. When it does, the next request triggers a background regeneration. ```tsx // app/products/[id]/page.tsx — static but refreshes every 60 seconds export const revalidate = 60 export default async function ProductPage({ params }: { params: { id: string } }) { const product = await fetch(`https://api.example.com/products/${params.id}`, { next: { revalidate: 60 }, }).then(res => res.json()) return

{product.name} — ${product.price}

} ``` **Data flow:** 1st request: Client → CDN (serves cached HTML instantly) Background: Server → API/Database → New HTML generated and cached Next request: Client → CDN (serves the updated page) The slight catch is that one user always gets the stale version that triggers the rebuild. But for most use cases, a few seconds of staleness is a worthwhile trade for near-instant load times. **Best for:** Product pages, listings, blog indexes — content that updates regularly but doesn't need to be real-time. --- ### Bonus: Partial Prerendering (PPR) Starting from Next.js 15, there's a fifth option that blurs the line between static and dynamic. **Partial Prerendering** lets a single page be partially static and partially dynamic — the static shell is served instantly from the CDN, while dynamic parts stream in as they become ready. ```tsx // app/page.tsx — static shell + dynamic content import { Suspense } from 'react' export default function HomePage() { return (

Welcome

{/* Static — served from CDN */} Loading...

}> {/* Dynamic — streams in */}

) } ``` PPR is the natural evolution of these four strategies — instead of choosing one mode for the entire page, you get granular control at the component level. It's still relatively new, but it's where Next.js rendering is heading. --- ### Comparison | Method | First Load | SEO | Data Freshness | Next.js Config | | ------ | ---------- | ---- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | CSR | Medium | OK* | Live (client-side) | `'use client'` + `useEffect` | | SSR | Medium | Good | Live (per-request) | `dynamic = 'force-dynamic'` | | SSG | Fast | Good | Fixed at build time | Default / `generateStaticParams()` | | ISR | Fast | Good | Revalidated | `export const revalidate = N` | | PPR | Fast | Good | Mixed | `Suspense` boundaries + dynamic data | *\*CSR components still get server-rendered HTML on first load in App Router, so SEO is better than traditional SPA.* --- ### My Rule of Thumb - **Default to SSG or ISR** — they're fast, cheap, and cover most pages. - **Reach for SSR** when content genuinely differs per request or per user. - **Reserve CSR** for interactive widgets or pages behind authentication. - **Consider PPR** when a page has both static and dynamic sections — don't make the whole page dynamic just because one part needs fresh data. > Static where possible, dynamic where necessary. Let the framework handle the rendering complexity so you can focus on what actually matters — delivering value to users.

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Next.js Rendering: CSR, SSR, SSG, ISR Explained