When building web apps with React, two powerful rendering strategies are Server-Side Rendering (SSR) and React Server Components (RSC). Both aim to improve performance and user experience, but they do so in different ways. Let’s break them down.

What is SSR (Server-Side Rendering)?

With SSR, your app runs on the server first, and the server sends HTML to the browser. This means users see the content almost instantly—especially useful for content-heavy apps like blogs or news websites.

So when a user visits your site:

The server builds the page.

The HTML is sent immediately.

The browser renders the static page quickly.

The Downside?
While the page looks ready, it’s not fully interactive yet.

That’s because the JavaScript bundle—which handles interactivity (like clicking buttons, submitting forms, etc.)—still needs to download and run on the client. This process is called hydration.

Until hydration completes, your app might look alive but feel dead—buttons won’t respond, dropdowns won’t open, etc.

What are React Server Components (RSC)?

React Server Components are a newer model introduced by the React team. They allow parts of your component tree to be rendered entirely on the server, without being sent to the browser as JavaScript.

Here’s how they help:

You can keep logic securely on the server (e.g., API keys, database queries).

You send only the minimal necessary JavaScript to the client.

The client only hydrates the parts that actually need interactivity.

So what’s the benefit?
RSC gives you:

The fast initial load time of SSR.

The security of keeping sensitive logic hidden.

The efficiency of only sending JS to the components that need it.

This makes your app faster, more secure, and less bloated.

*SSR + RSC: *

When combined:

SSR handles the initial HTML rendering, making pages load fast.

RSC takes care of server-side logic and keeps sensitive data away from the client.

Client components handle interactivity, and hydration is smarter and more efficient.

_React Server Components are a game-changer for building modern apps. They help keep things snappy, reduce unnecessary JavaScript, and allow developers to write more secure and scalable applications.

So next time you're building an app that needs both speed and interactivity, consider combining SSR and RSC—you might just get the best of both worlds._