How choosing server-side rendering solved security, CORS, and credential management problems I didn't know I had After years of building client-side dashboards with React, I kept running into the same frustrating problems: CORS configuration headaches, API credentials that needed to be secured, and the complexity of managing data fetching in the browser. Then I built Slate, a dashboard that moves all data fetching to build-time, and realized I'd been solving the wrong problems all along. The Hidden Problems with Client-Side Dashboards Most personal dashboards follow a familiar pattern: React frontend fetches data from various APIs, stores credentials in environment variables or local storage, and handles CORS through proxy configurations or server middleware. This seems normal until you realize what you're actually doing: Exposing API credentials to the browser (even if "hidden" in environment variables) Fighting CORS policies for every service integration Managing authentication state across multiple services in JavaScript Handling API rate limits and failures in client code Debugging network issues across different browser environments What if there was a fundamentally different approach? The Server-Side Data Architecture Slate takes a radically different approach by moving all data fetching to build-time: Server-side API calls - All credentials stay on your server, never touch the browser Build-time data fetching - APIs are called during dashboard generation, not... read more >