SSG vs SSR vs ISR for CMS Websites: Which Should You Use?
IntermediateQuick Answer
TL;DR
SSG (static site generation) is fastest but requires rebuilds on content changes. SSR (server-side rendering) is always fresh but adds latency and server cost. ISR (incremental static regeneration) combines both — static speed with near-instant updates. For most CMS-powered sites, ISR is the right default. Use SSG for truly static content, SSR only for personalized or real-time data.
Key Takeaways
- SSG delivers the fastest possible pages but becomes impractical when content changes frequently or site scale is large
- SSR ensures content freshness at the cost of TTFB latency and higher server compute
- ISR is the practical default for most CMS sites — CDN-speed delivery with seconds-to-live content updates
- Mix strategies within a single site: SSG for about pages, ISR for blog posts, SSR for user dashboards