Hydration

Hydration is a web development technique where a server-rendered HTML page is enhanced with client-side JavaScript to make it interactive. It involves attaching event listeners and state to static DOM elements generated on the server, allowing the page to become a fully functional single-page application (SPA) after initial load. This approach improves performance by providing faster initial page loads while maintaining rich interactivity.

Also known as: Rehydration, Client-side hydration, SSR hydration, Hydrate, Hydrating

Why learn Hydration?

Developers should learn hydration to optimize web applications for better user experience, particularly in frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular that support server-side rendering (SSR). It's essential for building fast-loading, SEO-friendly SPAs where initial content is critical, such as e-commerce sites or content-heavy platforms. Hydration helps balance performance and interactivity by reducing time-to-interactive metrics compared to pure client-side rendering.

Learning Resources

• docs: React Documentation: Hydration
• docs: MDN Web Docs: Hydration
• tutorial: Next.js Hydration Guide
• video: YouTube: What is Hydration?
• docs: Vue.js SSR Hydration