SPAs are web applications that load a single HTML page initially and then dynamically update that page as the user interacts with the application. This dynamic updating is typically achieved using JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js.
In SPAs, once the initial HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are loaded, subsequent interactions with the application, such as navigating to different sections or fetching data, are done via AJAX requests to the server or by manipulating the DOM in the browser.
SPAs offer a smooth and responsive user experience as they avoid full page reloads, leading to faster interactions and a more fluid interface.
Popular SPAs include web applications like Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter.
Server-Side Rendered Applications (SSR):
SSR applications render the HTML content of web pages on the server and send the pre-rendered HTML to the client’s browser. This means that when a user requests a page, they receive a fully-formed HTML page from the server, which is then displayed immediately.
React frameworks like Next.js or Angular Universal enable SSR by rendering React components on the server-side before sending them to the client.
SSR can improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because search engines can easily crawl and index the content of pre-rendered pages.
However, SSR can be slower for initial page loads compared to SPAs, especially for complex applications, because the server has to render the HTML before sending it to the client.
SSR is beneficial for applications that require fast initial rendering, good SEO, or have accessibility requirements.
Static Site Generators (SSG):
SSGs are tools that generate static HTML pages at build time based on templates, content, and data. These generated HTML pages are then served to the client without requiring server-side processing.
React-based SSGs like Gatsby.js or Next.js with the static export feature can generate static websites with React components.
SSGs are fast and efficient because they serve pre-built HTML files directly to the client, eliminating the need for server-side rendering on each request.
SSGs are excellent for content-based websites, blogs, documentation sites, or any site where the content doesn’t change frequently. They provide fast load times, low server overhead, and easy scalability.
However, since SSGs generate static pages at build time, they are not suitable for applications that require real-time data or dynamic content that changes frequently.
