Free course · Server

Server layer: terminology for the AI era

Everything between the browser and the component tree — containers, routes, rendering strategies, the app shell, proxies and sessions — named precisely enough to brief an agent on.

3 modules · 7 lessons · about 21 min of reading · no signup

Before you start: You have shipped a page that talks to an API. HTTP basics help; everything else is introduced.

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What you will be able to do

• Keep data access in containers and route state in the URL, so presentational code stays testable.
• Choose SSR, SSG or an app shell from the constraints of a brief, and defend the choice.
• Spot the plausible-but-insecure answer in proxy and session code before it ships.

Course contents

Module 1 Routes and containers

Where data enters the UI, and where the address bar keeps its share of state.

1. Mark “Containers: where data meets the UI” complete 01 Containers: where data meets the UI Containers · 3 min
2. Mark “Router: the URL is state too” complete 02 Router: the URL is state too Router · 3 min

Module 2 Rendering strategies

When HTML is made — per request, at build time, or once as a cached shell.

1. Mark “SSR: HTML per request, and the hydration bill” complete 03 SSR: HTML per request, and the hydration bill SSR · 3 min
2. Mark “SSG: render once at build time, cache it right” complete 04 SSG: render once at build time, cache it right SSG · 3 min
3. Mark “App shell: cache the frame, stream the data” complete 05 App shell: cache the frame, stream the data App Shell · 3 min

Module 3 The network edge

The two places a confident agent most often writes an insecure answer.

1. Mark “Proxy: one origin, and why CORS stops” complete 06 Proxy: one origin, and why CORS stops Proxy · 3 min
2. Mark “Session: where tokens live, and what logout means” complete 07 Session: where tokens live, and what logout means Session · 3 min