In Next.js, the ability to pre-render pages can greatly improve SEO and performance. Using getServerSideProps, you can fetch data at request time, ensuring that your page is rendered with up-to-date data.

When should you use getServerSideProps?

• Dynamic Content: When you need to load dynamic data for every request (like user-specific pages, or data that frequently changes).
• SEO Needs: If the data is needed for SEO purposes, pre-rendering it server-side is better than fetching it on the client side.

Example: Using getServerSideProps to Fetch Data

// pages/index.tsx

import { GetServerSideProps } from 'next';

type HomeProps = {

  data: string;

};

export default function Home({ data }: HomeProps) {

  return (

    <div>

      <h1>Server-side Rendered Page</h1>

      <p>{data}</p>

    </div>

  );

}

// This function runs on every request

export const getServerSideProps: GetServerSideProps = async (context) => {

  // Example: Fetch data from an external API or database

  const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data');

  const result = await response.json();

// Pass data to the page component via props

  return {

    props: {

      data: result.message, // Assume the API returns { message: "Hello World" }

    },

  };

};

Key Benefits:

1. SEO-Friendly: Since the data is rendered on the server, search engines can crawl the fully rendered HTML.
2. Up-to-date Content: The data is fetched every time the page is requested, ensuring fresh content.
3. Better UX: No need for loading spinners since data is available when the page loads.

You can leverage this pattern for any page that needs dynamic or user-specific data!