Rendering Overview
Who builds the HTML, and when? This single decision drives the entire architecture of a modern web app.
SSG
HTML is generated at build time. Every URL becomes a pre-built .html file that lives on a CDN. The fastest, cheapest, simplest strategy.
SSR
HTML is generated on the server, fresh, for every request. Slower than SSG but always up-to-date and personalizable.
CSR
The browser, not the server, builds the page. Great for internal tools and admin dashboards; poor default for public sites.
Hybrid Strategies
The hybrid strategies that combine SSG, SSR, and CSR. ISR rebuilds static pages on demand; Streaming SSR + RSC sends HTML in chunks; PPR mixes static and dynamic in the same page.
SPA vs MPA
A related but separate distinction from rendering strategies. How navigations work — full page reloads or in-place swaps — and why modern frameworks do both.