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POClient-side logic OR Server-side logic?
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copied!<p>I've done some web-based projects, and most of the difficulties I've met with (questions, confusions) could be figured out with help. But I still have an important question, even after asking some experienced developers: <strong>When functionality can be implemented with both server-side code and client-side scripting (JavaScript), which one should be preferred?</strong></p> <p>A simple example: </p> <p>To render a dynamic html page, I can format the page in server-side code (PHP, python) and use Ajax to fetch the formatted page and render it directly (more logic on server-side, less on client-side).</p> <p>I can also use Ajax to fetch the data (not formatted, JSON) and use client-side scripting to format the page and render it with more processing (the server gets the data from a DB or other source, and returns it to the client with JSON or XML. More logic on client-side and less on server).</p> <p>So how can I decide which one is better? Which one offers better performance? Why? Which one is more user-friendly?</p> <p>With browsers' JS engines evolving, JS can be interpreted in less time, so should I prefer client-side scripting?</p> <p>On the other hand, with hardware evolving, server performance is growing and the cost of sever-side logic will decrease, so should I prefer server-side scripting?</p> <p><strong>EDIT:</strong></p> <p>With the answers, I want to give a brief summary.</p> <p><strong>Pros of client-side logic:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Better user experience (faster).</li> <li>Less network bandwidth (lower cost).</li> <li>Increased scalability (reduced server load).</li> </ol> <p><strong>Pros of server-side logic:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Security issues.</li> <li>Better availability and accessibility (mobile devices and old browsers).</li> <li>Better SEO.</li> <li>Easily expandable (can add more servers, but can't make the browser faster).</li> </ol> <p>It seems that we need to balance these two approaches when facing a specific scenario. But how? What's the best practice?</p> <p>I will use client-side logic except in the following conditions:</p> <ol> <li>Security critical.</li> <li>Special groups (JavaScript disabled, mobile devices, and others).</li> </ol>

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