alt Hacker NewsIt feels like the worst of both worlds, what am I missing?
I get server-side rendering. I can boot my server, and everything is there. If my model changes, I can update the view. It's cohesive.
I get client-side rendering. The backend returns data, the frontend decides what to do with it. It's a clear separation. The data is just data, my mobile app can consume the same "user" endpoint.
This seems like a worst-of-both-worlds paradigm, where the backend needs to be intimately aware of the frontend context. Am I not getting it or is there a massive implicit coupling?
Now if I need to display the same "user" data twice, in different formats, on my website. Say, as a table in "My account", and as a dropdown in the menu bar. Do I need to write two endpoints in the backend, returning the same data in two different formats?
Replies
Not a problem with Jinja (or any server-side templating). Both the table and dropdown render from the same context variable in one template pass. One endpoint, one data fetch, two presentation formats.
The "two endpoints" concern assumes you're fetching fragments independently. If you're composing a full page server-side, the data is already there
You need to get out of the mentality that there have be two states.
Ultimately the frontend state cannot exist without the backend, where data is persisted. Most apps don't need the frontend state, all it really gives you is maybe a better UX? But in most cases the tradeoff in complexity isn't worth it.