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Server mode and client mode

A Nexy project is either server-rendered or client-routed, like a Next.js project is either pages rendered on the server or a client app. useCSR in nexyconfig.py chooses.

Server mode (`useCSR = False`)

nexyconfig.py

from nexy.core.models import NexyConfigModel
from nexy.frontend import react


class NexyConfig(NexyConfigModel):
    useFF = react()

Pages are .nexy, .md or .mdx files under src/routes/.
The root layout.nexy owns <!DOCTYPE html>, <html>, <head> and <body>.
Client components (React, Vue, Svelte, Solid or Preact) are allowed as islands: you import one from a .nexy page and it hydrates in the browser. See Islands.
A client component is never a route. Keep them in src/components/.
One client framework at a time.

src/
├─ routes/
│  ├─ layout.nexy         document
│  ├─ index.nexy          page
│  └─ api/users.py        API handler
└─ components/Counter.tsx island

Client mode (`useCSR = True`)

nexyconfig.py

class NexyConfig(NexyConfigModel):
    useFF = react()
    useCSR = True

Pages are the files of your client framework: .tsx for React, .vue, .svelte.
The root layout of any framework (layout.tsx, layout.vue, layout.svelte) owns <!DOCTYPE html>, <html>, <head> and <body>, like the root layout of the Next.js App Router. Nexy renders it in Node for the first response and the framework hydrates the whole document. See layout.tsx.
.py files are API handlers served by FastAPI, next to the client routes.
There is no .nexy file at all, and no layout.nexy.
Navigation between pages happens in the browser.

src/routes/
├─ layout.tsx             document
├─ index.tsx              page
├─ users.tsx              page
└─ api/users.py           API handler

What is rejected

Nexy checks the project before nx dev, nx start and nx build and stops with the list of files:

Mode	Rejected	Message
server	`.tsx`, `.jsx`, `.vue` or `.svelte` under `src/routes/`	move components to `src/components/`, or set `useCSR = True`
client	any `.nexy` file under `src/routes/`	write them as framework components, or set `useCSR = False`
both	more than one frontend framework in `useFF`	`useFF must configure exactly one frontend framework`
client	`useRouter` (modular router)	`useCSR requires file-based routing`
client	no `useFF`	`useCSR requires a client framework`

Files and folders starting with _ or . are ignored by this check.

Which one

Content, marketing, docs, SEO-first sites: server mode with islands.
Dashboards and apps with rich client navigation: client mode.
A Python API with a client app on top: client mode, with .py handlers next to the pages.

Next steps

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