SSR (Server-Side Rendering)

SSR generates HTML on the server for each request, unlike client-side rendering (CSR) where JavaScript builds the page in the browser. Benefits: faster First Contentful Paint (users see content sooner), better SEO (search engines see full content), works without JavaScript. Trade-offs: server load per request, Time to Interactive may be delayed (hydration needed), more complex caching. Frameworks supporting SSR: Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Remix. Hydration is when client JavaScript takes over the server-rendered HTML to make it interactive. SSR is often combined with static generation and client rendering in hybrid approaches for optimal performance.