As web applications become increasingly complex, it’s becoming more and more important to create websites that not only load quickly, but also provide a seamless user experience. One way to achieve this is through isomorphic rendering, which allows your website to render both server-side and client-side. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how to achieve isomorphic rendering with Next.js.

What is isomorphic rendering?

Isomorphic rendering is a technique used to improve website performance and user experience by rendering a website’s content both server-side and client-side. By doing so, the website can load quickly and provide a seamless experience for users.

When a user navigates to a website, the server-side rendering (SSR) process takes place. This means that the server will generate the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the page requested by the user. This HTML is then sent to the user’s browser, where the client-side rendering (CSR) process takes place. The JavaScript is executed, and the website becomes interactive.

The problem with this approach is that it can lead to slower load times, as the user has to wait for the server to generate the HTML before the website becomes interactive. Isomorphic rendering solves this problem by allowing the website to render both server-side and client-side, providing a faster user experience.

What is Next.js?

Next.js is a popular React-based framework for building web applications. It provides features such as server-side rendering, automatic code splitting, and optimized performance. With Next.js, you can easily create isomorphic web applications.

How to achieve isomorphic rendering with Next.js

To achieve isomorphic rendering with Next.js, you need to follow a few steps:

Step 1: Create a Next.js application

To create a Next.js application, you can use the create-next-app command. This will create a new project with all the necessary files and configurations.

npx create-next-app my-app
cd my-app

Step 2: Add server-side rendering

Next.js provides built-in support for server-side rendering. To enable server-side rendering, you can create a new file called pages/index.js and add the following code:

function HomePage(props) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Hello {props.name}!</h1>
    </div>
  );
}

export async function getServerSideProps() {
  return {
    props: {
      name: 'World',
    },
  };
}

export default HomePage;

This code creates a simple homepage with a greeting message. The getServerSideProps function is called before the page is rendered and it returns the data that will be used to render the page. In this case, it returns the name ‘World’, which will be passed to the HomePage component as a prop.

Step 3: Add client-side rendering

Next.js also provides support for client-side rendering. To add client-side rendering, you can create a new file called pages/_app.js and add the following code:

import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { useRouter } from 'next/router';
import * as gtag from '../lib/gtag';

function MyApp({ Component, pageProps }) {
  const router = useRouter();

  useEffect(() => {
    const handleRouteChange = (url) => {
      gtag.pageview(url);
    };
    router.events.on('routeChangeComplete', handleRouteChange);
    return () => {
      router.events.off('routeChangeComplete', handleRouteChange);
    };
  }, [router.events]);

  return <Component {...pageProps} />;
}

export default MyApp;

This code creates a custom MyApp component that wraps all other components. It uses the useEffect hook to track page views with Google Analytics. The Component prop is passed to the component, which represents the page being rendered. The pageProps prop contains any data that was passed from the server. The pageProps prop contains any data that was passed from the server.

Step 4: Add code splitting

Next.js provides automatic code splitting, which allows your website to load only the necessary code for each page, improving performance. To add code splitting, you don’t need to do anything – Next.js will automatically split your code based on the page being rendered.

Step 5: Deploy your application

Once your application is ready, you can deploy it to your preferred hosting provider. Next.js provides built-in support for deployment to services such as Vercel and Netlify.

Benefits of isomorphic rendering with Next.js

Isomorphic rendering with Next.js provides several benefits, including:

1. Faster load times: Isomorphic rendering allows your website to render both server-side and client-side, providing faster load times and a better user experience.
2. Improved SEO: Server-side rendering allows search engines to crawl your website more easily, improving your website’s search engine optimization.
3. Better accessibility: Isomorphic rendering allows your website to be more accessible to users with slower internet connections or older devices, as the server-side rendering provides a fallback if the client-side rendering fails.

Conclusion

Isomorphic rendering with Next.js provides a powerful way to improve website performance and user experience. By rendering your website both server-side and client-side, you can provide faster load times and a more seamless experience for users. With Next.js, achieving isomorphic rendering is easy and straightforward, making it a great choice for building modern web applications.