[Wowfunhappy]

And, heck, there's a solid argument that server-side rendering is more environmentally efficient, since the work is done in a data-center, which can (1) utilize caching to avoid re-doing work and (2) be built in an optimal location for electricity generation.

[nathanfig]

Conversely, you are losing the distributed computing gained by rendering on the client, and therefore need a bigger server to scale when needed. And HTTP caching can and should be used for API responses as well.

[Wowfunhappy]

If we're measuring by total resource consumption regardless of location, is distributed computing beneficial? Your server can be less powerful, but the client needs to be more powerful. I'd think the primary difference is who's paying for it.

Sure, most clients may already be adequately provisioned, but only because so many websites with bloated Javascript have forced their hand...