Pros and Cons of Inertia.js

Inertia.js sits in an interesting middle ground between classic server-rendered apps and full client-side SPAs. Here’s a balanced breakdown of when it’s a good or bad fit for your next project.

Pros and Cons of Inertia.js

Inertia lets you build SPA-like apps using server-side routing and controllers (Laravel, Rails, Phoenix, etc.) while rendering views with React, Vue, or Svelte, all without separating frontend and backend layers.

Pros

1. No Separate API Required

  • You only use server controllers (Laravel, etc) instead of REST/GraphQL APIs

  • Elimination of duplicate validation logic, API versioning and more

  • Faster development for CRUD-heavy apps

2. SPA User Experience

  • Page transitions without full reloads

  • Preserved scroll position and component state

  • Feel of a modern SPA without its complexity

3. Simpler Structure

  • Routes live on the server (not duplicated in frontend + backend)

  • Authorization, middleware, policies stay server-side

  • You think in pages, not API endpoints

4. Excellent Laravel Integration

  • First-class support

  • Works seamlessly with:

    • Authentication

    • CSRF protection

    • Validation errors

    • Flash messages

  • Minimal boilerplate compared to API + SPA

5. SEO-Friendly by Default

  • Initial page load is server-rendered

  • Search engines get real HTML

6. Works With Popular Frontend Frameworks

  • React

  • Vue

  • Svelte

  • You can still use hooks, components and state management libraries, like usual

Cons

1. Tight Backend–Frontend Coupling

  • Harder to:

    • Share the frontend with mobile apps

    • Swap backend technologies if needed

  • Not ideal for API-first architectures

2. Limited Ecosystem Compared to Next.js/Nuxt

  • Fewer plugins and examples

  • Weaker community support

3. Performance Tradeoffs at Scale

  • Large pages = large JSON payloads

  • Over-fetching can happen if not careful

  • Requires discipline with partial reloads and lazy props

4. Learning Curve for SPA Developers

  • SPA devs may find it restrictive

  • You must unlearn:

    • Client-side routing patterns

    • Global frontend state assumptions

  • Data flows through: Server → Inertia → Frontend

5. Opinionated Workflow

  • You buy into Inertia’s conventions

  • Less flexible than rolling your own SPA + API

  • Hard to partially adopt

When Inertia.js Is a Great Choice

  • CRUD-heavy apps

  • Admin panels

  • SaaS dashboards

  • Apps that don’t need a public API

When You Should Avoid It

  • Multiple apps consuming the same backend

  • Offline-first apps

  • Large frontend/backend teams working independently

  • API-first or microservice architectures