Modern website developments require modern solutions. As a developer, it is essential to master the techniques, approaches, and tools that streamline website development processes to ensure you develop a fast-loading website with a top-notch user experience. After all, no user wants to interact with a website that takes time to load a single page. The good thing is that with the digital transformation and emerging tech trends, developers can now use SPAs, SSGs, and SSR approaches to improve the browsing experience and build modern websites. But then, what is the difference between SSR, SSGs, and SPAs? This guide explores all the insights you need to know about the three technologies, including the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each.

What is a Single Page Application? SPAs quick overview

SPAs, Single Page Applications, are web apps generated via a single HTML and presented to the user, ensuring it is highly responsive and looks like a native or a desktop app.

The generated content depends on user input or user requests, and it is updated and displayed dynamically on the website browser. This makes SPAs compatible with multiple devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and desktops.

Pinterest, Airbnb, GitHub, Netflix, Twitter, Google Maps, Gmail, Facebook, and Google are common examples of SPA applications.

With this said, SPAs are ideal for websites with the following requirements:

• The need for dynamic user input and interactions
• Websites that use many templates
• Websites that require regular data updates and data manipulations
• Websites that offer real-time updates to users
• Websites that have interactive features such as forms or animations

Based on the above description, SPAs suit best baking apps, ecommerce platforms, collaboration tools, online gaming platforms, and social media platforms.

Benefits of SPAs

SPAs have many benefits for users and developers, too. Below are some of the top reasons why building SPAs is the real deal.

• Cross-platform compatibility

When building SPAs, developers can use the same codebase to develop apps that can function on different operating systems and devices. This creates a better user experience, enabling users to access the apps with any device of their choice. What’s more, the development team can build feature-rich apps for advanced app performance and functionality, thus enhancing user satisfaction.

• Seamless user experience

SPAs enable users to get their pages displayed immediately upon their user requests. This makes it easy for users to scroll through web pages without any disruptions. It is more like using a native desktop or a mobile app.

What’s more, users don’t need to click many links to access the services they need, thus minimizing user bounce rates. Above all, the navigations are smooth and quick because SPAs allow the reusing of page elements. All these factors, when put together, enhance the overall user experience.

• Fast & highly responsive

SPAs only update the needed context instead of working on the whole page. This makes the loading speed to be faster, thus creating efficiency. Users can access the needed features and functionalities of a specific page easily without waiting for too long. A highly responsive and fast-loading website will attract and retain more users, thus increasing sales and revenue.

• Caching capabilities

An SPA initiates a single request to the server during the initial download, thus saving all the collected data. In this case, users can use the data as needed, even when offline, enhancing convenience and using reduced data resources.

What’s more, users can easily sync local data with the server in case of a poor internet connection as long as the LAN connection completes the process.

• Accelerated development

More developers can handle SPA development because the SPA architecture allows the separation of frontend and backend elements, which doesn’t impact the activities taking place on the other end, thus speeding up the development processes.

Again, the development teams can reuse server-side code for accelerated development processes. Most importantly, SPAs use the decoupled architecture, which makes it easy for developers to adjust, modify, and test frontend functionalities without affecting the backend components.

• Easy Debugging with Chrome

Debugging is all about detecting and resolving issues, errors, security issues, and bugs that slow down the performance and functionality of an app.

The debugging processes in SPAs are simplified by developer tools from Chrome, enabling the team to complete the debugging process without handling several code elements.

Again, SPAs use JavaScript frameworks like React developer tools and AngularJS, which simplifies debugging from Chrome.

• Easy to convert IOS & Android app

SPAs make it easy for developers who want to change iOS and Android apps. They simply use the same code to change from a SPA to a mobile app.

Drawbacks or challenges of SPAs

While SPAs have many benefits for both users and developers, they also have some shortcomings, as highlighted below:

• SPAs experience SEO challenges since there is no initial HTML content. This makes it hard for search engines to find and index page context for better SEO performance.
• Creating SPAs is costly plus time-consuming as it involves complex processes that require expertise.
• As the app continues to grow, the loading time may face some challenges, which impact user experience.
• Memory leaks as a result of JavaScript technologies can lead to poor app performance in SPAs.
• Some SPAs experience browser compatibility issues, which can limit some user base from using SPAs seamlessly.
• Security concerns, especially if the development team fails to follow secure coding best practices when building SPAs.

What is a static site generator? Quick Overview of SSG

There are two major website categories, i.e., dynamic websites and static websites.

Also known as flat or stationary pages, static websites maintain the same state they are in when projected to the website browser. The users access static pages just as they are once the developer makes them accessible to the server. It remains unchanged throughout.

Dynamic websites, on the other hand, a websites that generate real-time content in response to user requests. However, the generated context in dynamic websites is changeable depending on the type of device and screen size. In this case, dynamic web page content is flexible, allowing users to enjoy a customized experience depending on user request.

Therefore, SSGs – static site generators are simply tools used to build static websites in response to input files. In this case, the SSG tools use a templating engine for rendering dynamic content from static files, thus simplifying the process of creating complex web pages without server-side processing.

Examples of popular static site generators include

• Gatsby – this is an SSG that uses GraphQL and React to produce scalable and fast websites. Many developers use Gatsby for complex websites and modern web apps.
• Eleventy – This is a flexible and easy-to-use SSG that uses JavaScript to simplify website development. Its flexibility, lightweight, and ease of use make it a perfect choice for diverse projects.
• Jekyll – written in Ruby, Jekyll is a popular SSG used to build personal and blog-based websites. Its ease of use and simple nature make it a great choice for many developers.
• js – Using React, Next.js is another common SSG known for its great performance and ease of use. Above all, it can be used for diverse projects since it supports both dynamic and static content.
• Hugo – written on Go, Hugo is a common SSG that many developers lobe, thanks to its extensive features and excellent speed.

Benefits of Static Site Generators

Using SSGs to build websites has many benefits, as outlined below.

• Highly scalable

Scaling is streamlined in static sites because these websites can manage any amount of traffic without needing more server resources. You also don’t need to perform configurations.

This makes it suitable for projects that require effective product launching and promotional campaigns. It will scale with the increasing traffic without any downtime, plus it is a secure, fast, and cost-effective solution.

• Improved security

SSGs, apart from offering incredible speed and performance, offer better security to the site. In this case, static sites have static files with no database. This makes it hard for attackers to hack the system and perform malicious actions since there is no database. The attackers cannot as well manipulate server-side database security vulnerabilities since they don’t have access points.

• Costs effectiveness

When working with a limited budget, SSG is your go-to technology. A static website doesn’t require database access or server-side processing, thus reducing hosting costs compared to dynamic websites. What’s more, developers don’t have many tasks when creating static websites. This means you can save on development costs since you only need a small team to complete the tasks.

• Improved SEO and performance

It is easy to optimize static site generators for search engines. You only need to use the right tools and approaches as you organize and structure your content for top website rankings. This means your website will attract more users, thus increasing traffic for more productivity.

• Version control

Developers can easily integrate static websites with version control systems such as Git. This action enhances collaborations, tracking of the project’s progress, and a perfect rollback plan where necessary.

• Better accessibility

Website accessibility is of great significance to both owners and visitors. Better accessibility improves overall user experience and website performance. In this case, users can access static websites even when offline.

• Ease of maintenance

It is easy to maintain a static website since you only need to take care of a few elements. In fact, you don’t necessarily need tech expertise. Most of the maintenance tasks revolve around content updates and basic website maintenance that don’t require tech skills.

Challenges of using static site generators

Just like SPAs, static site generators, too have their challenges. These challenges include the following:

• No admin interface  

Most static site generators don’t have a smooth user interface, thus making some tasks, such as content updates, quite complex, especially with no technical skills.

• Complex learning process   

Learning how to use static site generators is a complex process on its own. Especially if you lack basic technical skills, it will take a lot of time to master SSGs. The good aspect about this is that you can collaborate with tech experts from Aalpha and solve the complexity.

• Limited dynamic functionality

SSGs are limited to websites with static content. This means you cannot use these tools when your website requires dynamic features such as real-time updates.

Static Site Generators (SSGs) use cases

So, when do you need to use SSGs? Below are some of the projects where static site generators fit best:

• Blogs & personal websites – this allows users to share their ideas and concepts through personal websites and blogging.
• Startup companies – SSGs benefit startup businesses that want to establish their online presence faster, yet with a limited budget. In this case, they can create product documentation sites, landing pages, and informational websites to share tier contexts as they build their online presence.
• Simple websites or landing pages – SSGs are ideas for websites that have static content, such as services and case studies pages. In this case, the content doesn’t change more often.
• Small businesses – these are businesses that offer basic services and simply need an online presence with details like contact info, location, open hours, and type of services. Examples of these businesses include restaurants, local shops, and service providers. Use SSGs for such projects to speed up the development process at lower costs.
• Documentation sites – these are projects that focus on documenting the products and services offered. Using SSGs for such projects simplifies user accessibility and navigation.
• Portfolio websites – these are projects that showcase website owner work and skills as they target the next clients. Designer, photography, and freelancer businesses are examples of businesses under portfolio websites. Using SSGs provides a streamlined navigation and visually appealing context.
• Event websites – if you specialize in hosting events such as webinars, workshops, conferences, and related events, SSGs will simplify the event website development with basic requirements such as registration requirements, speaker information, and schedules.

What is Server-Side Rendering? SSR Quick Overview

Server-side rendering is a web development approach where the server produces the HTML content on the web page before rendering it to the user browser instead of the browser generating HTML content after user input from the server in client-side rendering.

In simplified terms, SSR is a technique used to render a page on the server and not on the browser.

Benefits of server-side rendering

So, why is SSR – server-side rendering important? Below are some of the ways through which server-side rendering techniques are beneficial in web development:

• Streamlined user experience

The issue of a white screen is often experienced with client-side rendering websites. This happens when you see a partially loaded page as you wait for the entire page to load. This leads to user frustrations and, thus, a higher bounce rate.

However, with SSR, you can deliver a fully-rendered page after loading, ensuring users experience a streamlined and faster browsing experience. What’s more, SSR has the ability to produce sharable rendered HTML content, which makes the pages visually appealing for an engaging audience.

• Better performance

Server-side rendering is known to enhance website performance. This is because SSR offloads some tasks to the server, thus reducing work on the browser’s side, which leads to accelerated loading time that enhances user experience. While this is beneficial in one way, it is essential to know that increasing tasks to the server can lead to infrastructure issues, which can be costly and affect the website’s scalability, especially for sites that attract heavy traffic.

• Better accessibility

SSR websites are highly accessible, especially for users with outdated devices and in cases of slow internet connections. In this case, the CPUs are less powerful, and the server sends already-rendered content to the browser for ease of accessibility.

• Improved SEO

In SSR, the server generates already rendered HTML content, making it easy for web crawlers to index and rank the websites to enhance website visibility. This is contrary to CSR websites, where web crawlers strain heavy JavaScript websites when it comes to indexing and rankings.

Limitations of server-side rendering

SSR, just like SPAs and SSGs, has a number of drawbacks, as described below:

• Compatibility issues – some third-party tools and libraries may not align with SSR websites, thus limiting the website’s functionalities and performance.
• Costly – you will need to pay for the server before deploying an SSR app or opt for a serverless backend, which will attract higher operational costs.
• Large HTML files – SSR apps often have a large HTML size due to the embedded hydration state. While it may not limit the SSR app’s functionalities, it can attract many risks when not executed as needed.
• Slow page rendering– since the SSR approach is perfect for static HTML site generation, which limits complex apps. In this case, many server requests can lead to slow page rendering, which impacts the website’s performance.

Server-side rendering use cases

SSR technology comes with many benefits and limitations, too. That is why you must understand when and where to use SSR to get the most out of the technique. Below are some common projects that suit SSR technique best:

• Slow or unstable networks – when building apps targeting users with internet connectivity issues, the SSR technique will come in handy. In this case, you will reduce the amount of data sent to the client, thus eliminating performance issues resulting from poor internet connections.
• Content-based websites – when building websites that focus on large content such as ecommerce, news platforms, and blog websites, consider using SSR. In this case, you need to render content on the server and reduce JavaScript tasks on the client side. This enhances website responsiveness and increases loading times.
• SEO-based projects – SSR is known to enhance SEO performance. Therefore, if you are building a website targeting to attract organic traffic, SSR is the solution here.
• Highly secure apps – SSR is the best technology to use when building applications that need high-security measures and standards. By implementing server-side rendering, you eliminate risks and vulnerabilities due to JavaScript exposure to the client.

SPAs, SSGs, and SSR detailed comparison

Server-side rendering (SSR), Single Page Applications (SPAs), and Static Site Generators (SSGs) are all web development techniques that simplify web development and performance in different ways. As a developer, you can choose any of the approaches based on your budget, flexibility, performance requirements, and developer preferences to complete a project. Below is a detailed analysis of the three web development techniques.

SSR, SSG, and SPAs comparison: which one should you choose?

As a developer, you can use SSG -static site generators, SPAs -Single Page Applications, or SSR – server-side rendering approaches in your web development project. However, choosing the appropriate technique will depend on the type of project you are handling and your experience as a developer.

For instance, SPAs suit best dynamic websites with client-side rendering. The challenges you will experience in this case, however, are poor SEO and page load times.

SSRs, on the other hand, can be costly and complex, but suits best such a project. SSGs, on the other side, will deliver incredible SEO capabilities for static websites. However, you will experience personalization limitations, which, in one way or the other, impact user satisfaction.

So, generally, all three approaches have their benefits and challenges. Choose one that will suit your project goals, budget, and ease of use.

Conclusion

Web development can be a complex process in different ways. However, it is now easy for developers to adopt modern technologies and techniques to ensure they develop well-performing websites.

Static site generators, Single page applications, and Server-side rendering are some of the common techniques and approaches used by developers to complete the web development process easily, ensuring they achieve the set business objectives.

However, before choosing any of the techniques, make sure you know your unique project needs and your target audience. Most importantly, focus on delivering a smooth user experience to the target users.

Back to You!

Are you confused about choosing between SPAs, SSGs, and SSR? Get in touch with our web development company– Aalpha Information Systems. Our experts will guide you in choosing the right technology.