Part 2 / Concepts / Server and client

A SvelteKit app can be thought of as two distinct entities working in tandem — the server and the client.

'Server' is, perhaps, a confusing word since your app will often be running in a serverless environment (cloud/edge functions) or might even be deployed as a set of completely static files. But it's the best we've got. The server's basic job is to turn a request into a response.

'Client' refers to the JavaScript that loads in the browser.

SvelteKit makes the two communicate with each other seamlessly. On the initial page load, the server renders the HTML, meaning content is visible as quickly as possible. The client then takes over in a process called 'hydration', so that subsequent navigations happen without full page reloads. It will request additional code and data from the server as needed.

You can adjust this behavior as needed. SvelteKit is very versatile!