Rendering Modes
In Web application development, the rendering mode determines when and where (browser or cloud server) the HTML structure is generated and returned to the user.
Momen supports three rendering modes. Choosing the right mode significantly affects first-load performance and search engine indexing.
Configure rendering mode in Settings → SEO → Rendering Pattern. For SEO parameter details, see SEO Reference.
1. Comparison Overview
| Dimension | CSR (Client-Side Rendering) | SSR (Server-Side Rendering) | SSG (Static Site Generation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| When HTML is generated | In the browser at request time | On the server per request | At publish time, stored on CDN |
| First-load speed | Slow | Fast | Very fast |
| SEO friendliness | Poor | Strong | Excellent |
| Data freshness | Real-time | Real-time | Frozen until next publish |
| Server compute cost | Very low | High (per request) | Very low |
| Supported plans | All plans | Single Tenant Server | Basic, Pro, Single Tenant |
2. Mode Details
2.1 CSR — Client-Side Rendering
How It Works
When a user requests a page, the server returns a minimal HTML shell and JavaScript. The browser downloads and executes the script, queries the Momen backend, and builds the DOM in the client.
Pros and Cons
- Pros: Low server load; smooth in-app navigation without full page reloads. Ideal for internal tools, dashboards, and authenticated portals where SEO is not required.
- Cons: Slower first paint; depends on client device and network. Search engine crawlers receive an empty initial HTML shell and cannot index dynamic content.
On the Free plan (CSR only), page-level SEO settings (TDK, Open Graph, etc.) are not effective for search indexing.
2.2 SSR — Server-Side Rendering
How It Works
On each request, the Momen server queries the database, assembles data into the HTML template, and returns a fully structured page to the browser.
Pros and Cons
- Pros: Fast first load with complete HTML content that crawlers can index. Suitable for frequently updated content that still needs strong SEO (news, dynamic catalogs).
- Cons: Every page view consumes server compute. High concurrent traffic (RPS) requires adequate server capacity.
2.3 SSG — Static Site Generation at Publish Time
How It Works
When you click Go to Publish, Momen pre-renders pages using configured path parameter ranges and writes static .html files to CDN nodes. Users receive pre-built HTML without per-request server rendering.
Pros and Cons
- Pros:
- Peak performance: No server computation at request time; handles large traffic spikes easily.
- Excellent SEO: Each URL is a complete static page, highly crawlable.
- Best for: Corporate sites, landing pages, blogs, and product catalogs with moderate update frequency.
- Cons: Content is frozen at publish time. Backend data changes require republishing to regenerate static files.
For dynamic routes (e.g., /blogs/:slug), configure path parameter ranges in SEO settings so Momen knows which pages to pre-build. URLs outside the configured range fall back to CSR in SSG mode.
You can verify the active rendering mode by inspecting the HTML <head> in a published page.
3. Plan Availability
| Plan | CSR | SSG | SSR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ✓ | — | — |
| Basic | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Pro | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Single Tenant Server | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
For configuration steps and path parameter setup, see Domain, SEO & Integration.