Serverless server-side rendering: Improving user experience with React and serverless functions

For years, developers have relied on browsers to render web pages client side, which often leaves users patiently waiting for web pages to load. This less-than-favorable experience can be changed by writing user interface components in React. Join Natalie Qabazard to explore the pros and cons of rendering a web page server side using React and a serverless resource.

Rendering a web page server side using React and a serverless resource like AWS Lambda, a function-as-a-service (FaaS) product, can drastically speed up the load time of your web page. It’s an uncommon approach because this breaks the mold of the developer’s traditional approach to web page rendering. However, it’s worth considering because of the many benefits that come with it, like improved user-perceived performance, potentially lower costs compared to a hosted instance, and a hassle-free developer experience. Join Natalie Qabazard to explore the pros and cons of rendering a web page server side using React and a serverless resource. Natalie outlines the differences between client-side rendering and server-side rendering (SSR) and explains why SSR is still important to use when needed. You’ll learn why serverless server-side rendering is the future and how to improve user-perceived performance for large web apps, transition to a serverless approach, using Lambda and other cloud products, and maximize the benefits and navigate the challenges while continuing to deliver a seamless customer experience. Along the way, Natalie details a minimum set of steps required to make a request to a Lambda function and get HTML in return. Because AWS Lambda isn’t the only FaaS, she also discusses how to carry out the same steps using functions from other cloud providers. Natalie then concludes by covering the benefits and drawbacks of SSR using serverless functions.