The Ultimate Guide to React SSG vs SSR

In the field of web development, user experience, scalability, and performance are crucial in next.js. The well-known React js framework offers a number of rendering techniques to accomplish these objectives, most notably server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG). Despite their apparent similarities, they serve a number of functions and applications. In this article, the most important differences between SSR and SSG are categorized in next.js, which helps them to make decisions on the architecture they were properly discovered.

What Is Server-side rendering (SSR)?

Server-side rendering (SSR) refers to the process in which HTML is generated on the server at the time of a request. When a user visits a page, the server dynamically creates content and sends it back to the browser.
In next.js, SSR is implemented using the GetServerSideProps function.

How SSR works in next.js:

The user calls one page. The server runs GetServerSideProps. HTML is generated on the server using the new data. HTML is sent to the client.

Pros and Cons

PROS	CONS
Always indicates the current data.	Real-time rendering has slow response time.
SEO performance is better than client side rendering.	More expensive servers, especially for many concurrent users.
Useful for pages that rely on user-specific data.

Read more: How can PHP framework performance be optimized effectively?

What is Static Site Generation (SSG)?

Static Site Generation (SSG) involves creating HTML at construction, not application time. This means that the page will appear in a static HTML file and will be manipulated immediately by a CDN or server.

How SSG works in next.js:

In next.js, SSG is implemented using GetSticProps and optionally GetSteticPaths for dynamic routes. As SSG for, next.js runs getSticProps during the build process. A static HTML file is generated with the results. These files are manipulated directly on request.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Fast page loading with pre-created static content.	Not suitable for pages that require real-time or user-specific data.
Minimum Server - Perfect for scaling.	Data must be retrieved during the request.
Can be hosted on cheap or free static hosting platforms.	Search Engine Optimization is important and relying solely on client-side rendering is not sufficient.

Comparing SSR & SSG in Next.js

Features	SSR	SSG
Performance	Slow	Fast (Due to static delivery)
Data Freshness	Up to date	Become outdated unless revalidated
Page Load Speed	Depends on server response	Instantaneous
Hosting Requirements	Node.js server is required	Hosted on static hosting

Conclusion

SSR and SSG both provide a powerful solution in next.js, but the correct choice depends on the specific requirements of your application. SSR provides continuous fresh and personalized content, while SSG provides outstanding speed and scalability for static content. Secondly, JavaScript supports both SSR and SSG within the same application, giving developers the flexibility to optimize each page based on its specific needs.

By Digital Team. Updated on 05-05-2025

SSG SSR React StaticSiteGeneration ServerSideRendering