Architecture

Architecture Deep Dive

Visual comparison of architectural patterns, rendering strategies, data flow, and infrastructure between PHP and Next.js.

Server-Side Rendering (SSR Only)

PHP

Browser Request

Apache/Nginx receives request

PHP interprets .php file

SQL queries to MySQL

PHP renders full HTML string

Complete HTML sent to browser

Browser parses HTML, loads CSS/JS

Full page reload for navigation

Every request generates a complete HTML page on the server. Navigation triggers full page reloads. No client-side rendering or hydration. Interactivity requires separate JavaScript files that manipulate the DOM directly.

Hybrid Rendering (SSR + CSR + SSG + Streaming)

Next.js

Browser Request

Edge Middleware (auth, redirect)

Server Component renders on server

Prisma queries (type-safe)

HTML streamed progressively

Client Components hydrate

SPA navigation (no full reload)

Server Actions for mutations

Next.js uses multiple rendering strategies: Server Components for data-heavy pages, Client Components for interactivity, Static Generation for cacheable content, and Streaming SSR for progressive loading. Navigation is client-side without full page reloads.