I have experience working with Angular 1.x templates in components and understand how client-side templating works. Now I’m studying Node.js development and keep seeing references to backend template engines, but I’m struggling to understand their purpose. Since I already know how to handle templates on the frontend, I’m wondering what specific advantages these server-side templating tools offer. Can someone explain when and why you would choose to use them instead of just sending JSON data to the client? I’m having trouble seeing the practical benefits in modern web development.
I’ve used both approaches extensively, and server-side templating engines like EJS and Pug are perfect when you need dynamic content that changes per user or request. The biggest win? Your JavaScript bundle stays smaller and simpler. Rather than sending template logic and data fetching code to every browser, you handle the heavy work on the server where you’ve got predictable resources. This works great for content-heavy apps - blogs, e-commerce sites, dashboards - anywhere the initial page load needs lots of user-specific data. You get better caching control too, and progressive enhancement becomes way easier. Your app stays functional even when JavaScript breaks or loads slowly.
Interesting point, Maya! I’ve been thinking about this lately too. Server-side templating definitely helps with SEO - search engines can crawl the fully rendered HTML immediately instead of waiting. Did you run into performance issues with Angular 1.x on slower devices? I’m thinking server templating could solve that problem too.
i totally agree with you! that fast load time can really enhance user experience and makes sure that even if js has issues, your content is still visible. super important for users with disabilities too. accessibility is key!