> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.platelunchcollective.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Client-Side Rendering vs Server-Side Rendering

> Client-side rendering (CSR) generates page content in the user's browser using JavaScript after the initial page load.

*Technical implementation* · *AI Search Infrastructure*

## Definition

Client-side rendering (CSR) generates page content in the user's browser using JavaScript after the initial page load. Server-side rendering (SSR) generates the full page HTML on the server before delivery, so the complete content is present in the initial response. Static site generation (SSG) pre-renders pages at build time.

## Why It Matters for AI Search

AI crawlers generally cannot execute JavaScript, which means CSR pages may be indexed as empty or near-empty. SSR and SSG ensure that content is present in the HTML that crawlers receive. For Next.js sites specifically — a very common modern React framework — SSR and SSG are built-in options that make AI discoverability straightforward to achieve without sacrificing the benefits of a JavaScript frontend.

## Related Terms

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="HTML-first development" href="/ai-search-glossary/html-first-development" />

  <Card title="Machine readability" href="/ai-search-glossary/machine-readability" />

  <Card title="Indexability" href="/ai-search-glossary/indexability" />

  <Card title="Technical SEO" href="/ai-search-glossary/technical-seo" />

  <Card title="AI Crawler" href="/ai-search-glossary/ai-crawler" />
</CardGroup>

## Relevant Plate Lunch Collective Services

[AI SEO](https://www.platelunchcollective.com/services/ai-seo)