---
title: "Headless server-side rendering mode"
slug: "headless-server-side-rendering-mode"
abstract: "Decouple the rendering of JSS applications from Sitecore"
---
# Headless server-side rendering mode

To server-side render (SSR) a production JSS application outside of Sitecore, you can use the headless server-side rendering mode. It allows deploying and running your application on any platform that supports Node.js and Express, opening up inexpensive rendering engine scaling.

The rendering is performed by a Node.js server using popular platforms such as Azure App Service, Vercel, Netlify, or Heroku.

The application retrieves the data from a Sitecore Content Delivery server using HTTP requests to various [Headless Services and APIs](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/hd/23/sitecore-headless-development/services-and-apis.html "Services and APIs").

A headless server-side rendered JSS application has full Sitecore marketing and personalization support.

Ideal usages for this mode are decoupling the rendering of JSS applications from Sitecore and multi-channel API usage.

The following diagram shows the flow of requests from the browser to the Sitecore databases.

![Flow of requests for JSS apps in headless server-side rendering mode.](https://doc.sitecore.com/api/markdown-image/xp/en/developers/hd/23/sitecore-headless-development/images/ApplicationModesHeadlessSSR16_.svg)

## Usage

To use the headless server-side rendering mode for a JSS application built with JSS for React, Angular, or Vue, consult the documentation for [headless server-side rendering with `sitecore-jss-proxy`](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/hd/23/sitecore-headless-development/walkthrough--rendering-a-jss-app-server-side-using-the-headless-jss-proxy.html "Walkthrough: Rendering a JSS app server-side using the headless JSS proxy") or [headless server-side rendering using an Experience Edge for XM endpoint](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/hd/23/sitecore-headless-development/server-side-render-jss-apps-headlessly-using-a-sitecore-experience-edge-endpoint.html "Server-side render JSS apps headlessly using a Sitecore Experience Edge endpoint").

For JSS applications built with JSS for Next.js, consult the documentation for [prerendering methods and data fetching strategies in JSS Next.js apps](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/hd/23/sitecore-headless-development/prerendering-methods-and-data-fetching-strategies-in-jss-next-js-apps.html "Prerendering methods and data fetching strategies in JSS Next.js apps").