Frontend Development › Rendering Strategies

Multi-Page Application (MPA)

Traditional sites where each page is a full load.

Also known as: multi-page app, MPA

A multi-page application is a site where each page is its own HTML document. Clicking a link asks the server for a new page, and the browser loads it from scratch. Most websites worked this way before JavaScript apps became common, and many still do.

GET /products      -> full HTML page
GET /products/42   -> another full HTML page

Each page can be generated by the server with server-side templates, or built ahead of time with static site generation.

The benefits are simple ones. Every page has its own URL, works without JavaScript, and is easy for search engines to read. The cost is a full page load on each navigation, so the screen can flash and the browser throws away what it had.

The classic mistake is thinking an MPA is outdated and must be replaced by a single-page app. For content sites, blogs and shops, an MPA is often the simpler and faster choice. Pick the approach that fits the product, not the one that looks newest.