Static vs Server-Rendered Websites: Choosing a Rendering Model

How a page is turned into HTML shapes performance, SEO and hosting cost.

Static generation

Pages are built ahead of time and served as files. They are fast, cheap to host and cache well. Best for content that changes infrequently.

Server rendering

The server builds HTML per request. It suits personalised or frequently changing pages, but needs a server runtime and caching strategy.

Client rendering

The browser builds the page with JavaScript. It enables rich interactions, but can delay content and complicate SEO if not combined with server output.

Practical rule

Render on the server or at build time by default, and add client-side JavaScript only for interactions that need it.