Certainly! Here’s a solution with an explanation and practical steps:
To check if Server-Side Rendering (SSR) is working correctly with Inertia.js and Laravel in dev mode, you want to confirm that your pages are initially rendered on the server, not just on the client.
How Laravel + Inertia SSR Works in Dev Mode
When running composer run dev (which typically executes vite), Vite automatically starts the Inertia SSR server in development mode, so you don’t need to manually run php artisan inertia:start-ssr.
Ways to Confirm SSR is Working
1. View Page Source in Browser
Open any Inertia-loaded page and right-click → View Page Source. If SSR is enabled, you should see your markup rendered as HTML elements (with actual content, not just a root <div id="app"></div>). If you only see a root container div and JavaScript, SSR isn’t working.
Example: Without SSR, page source will look like:
<div id="app" data-page="..."></div>
<script src="/js/app.js"></script>
With SSR, you’ll see the actual rendered markup:
<div id="app" data-page="...">
<div>
<!-- Your SSR-rendered components here -->
<h1>Welcome, John</h1>
...
</div>
</div>
2. Temporarily Remove JavaScript & Refresh
- Open DevTools → Network tab.
- Throttle or block JavaScript (or disable it in your browser).
- Refresh the page.
- If SSR is working: You’ll still see content.
- If not: The page will be blank or nearly blank.
3. Look for SSR Logs in Terminal
When you run composer run dev, you should see Vite starting up, and it should mention something like "SSR server running at..." in the logs.
4. Console Warnings
If there’s an SSR mismatch or error, the browser console will usually show a warning about hydration errors from Vue/React.
Summary
- Open view source and look for your actual page content, not just a root div.
- Disable JavaScript, refresh, and check if any content appears.
- Check your terminal for SSR server startup logs.
If the rendered source shows your HTML content (not just id="app"), then SSR is working.
Let me know if you need more detail on any step!
