Accessing Mode Configuration
Navigate to Stores > Configuration > PureClarity and locate the “Mode” section.
Display Mode Options
Client-Side Mode (Default)
Recommended for: Most standard implementationsProcessing location: PureClarity servers
Template management: PureClarity admin console In client-side mode, all recommendation data and HTML rendering occurs on PureClarity’s servers. When a customer visits your site, JavaScript requests recommendations directly from PureClarity and displays them in real-time. How it works:
- Page loads with PureClarity JavaScript
- Recommendations requested from PureClarity servers
- Complete HTML returned and inserted into zones
- No additional Magento processing required
- Faster page loads - No server-side processing delays
- Reduced server load - Offloads recommendation processing
- Real-time updates - Content changes immediately in PureClarity admin
- Global CDN delivery - Fast content delivery worldwide
- Simplified implementation - No complex server-side customizations
Client-side mode is the standard implementation and works well for most e-commerce sites without complex pricing rules or customer-specific restrictions.
Server-Side Mode
Recommended for: Complex pricing, custom restrictions, or advanced customizationsProcessing location: Your Magento server
Template management: Magento templates with PureClarity data In server-side mode, PureClarity provides product SKUs and recommendation logic, but Magento handles the final data assembly and HTML rendering using current store data. How it works:
- Page loads and triggers server-side recommendation request
- PureClarity returns SKUs and recommendation metadata
- Magento processes SKUs with current pricing, inventory, and rules
- Custom templates render final HTML with live data
- Complete recommendations inserted into page
- Live pricing integration - Real-time price calculations
- Customer-specific data - Personalized pricing and availability
- Complex business rules - Custom logic and restrictions
- Full template control - Complete customization of appearance
- Inventory accuracy - Current stock levels reflected
Server-side mode requires additional development work and may impact page load performance. Use only when client-side mode cannot meet your requirements.
When to Choose Each Mode
Client-Side Mode Best For:
- Standard pricing - Fixed prices without complex rules
- Public catalogs - Same prices and availability for all customers
- Fast implementation - Quick setup without custom development
- High traffic sites - Reduced server load requirements
- Global audiences - CDN-delivered content for speed
Server-Side Mode Best For:
- Dynamic pricing - Customer group pricing, volume discounts
- B2B features - Account-specific pricing and catalogs
- Complex inventory - Multi-location, reserved, or allocated stock
- Custom restrictions - Product visibility rules beyond standard Magento
- Advanced integrations - ERP systems, custom pricing engines
Start with client-side mode unless you have specific requirements that demand server-side processing. You can always migrate to server-side mode later if needed.
Technical Implementation Details
Client-Side Implementation
- PureClarity script loads asynchronously
- Recommendations request product data from PureClarity
- Complete HTML inserted into zone containers
- No Magento processing required
Server-Side Implementation
- Magento processes recommendation requests
- SKUs retrieved from PureClarity
- Product data loaded from Magento database
- Custom templates render final output
- HTML inserted into zone containers
Server-side mode requires additional template development and configuration. See Server-Side Mode Guide for detailed implementation instructions.
Performance Considerations
Client-Side Performance
Advantages:- Faster initial page load - No server-side processing delay
- Cached content - CDN delivery and browser caching
- Parallel loading - Recommendations load independently
- Reduced server load - Offloaded processing
- JavaScript dependency - Requires client-side JavaScript
- Network requests - Additional API calls to PureClarity
- Content delay - Slight delay before recommendations appear
Server-Side Performance
Advantages:- No client dependencies - Works without JavaScript
- SEO friendly - Server-rendered content for crawlers
- Complete control - Full optimization possibilities
- Server processing - Additional load on Magento servers
- Database queries - Extra product data retrieval
- Page load impact - Potential slowdown during processing
- Scaling challenges - Increased resource requirements
SEO and Accessibility
Client-Side SEO
- JavaScript-dependent content may not be indexed
- Asynchronous loading can delay content visibility
- Modern crawlers generally handle JavaScript well
- Fallback content can provide basic SEO value
Server-Side SEO
- Server-rendered content is immediately indexable
- No JavaScript dependency for search engines
- Complete control over meta tags and structured data
- Better accessibility for non-JavaScript environments
For SEO-critical recommendation content, consider server-side mode or implement proper fallback content for client-side implementations.
Migration Between Modes
Client-Side to Server-Side
Migration requirements:- Template development for recommendation rendering
- Custom logic implementation for pricing and rules
- Testing and validation of recommendation accuracy
- Performance optimization for server-side processing
Server-Side to Client-Side
Migration considerations:- Template simplification - Remove server-side logic
- Pricing validation - Ensure client-side pricing is acceptable
- Testing recommendations - Verify recommendation quality
- Performance monitoring - Check for improvement
Configuration Best Practices
Mode Selection Strategy
- Assess requirements - Pricing complexity, customizations needed
- Evaluate technical resources - Development capabilities
- Consider performance - Server load vs. page speed priorities
- Plan for scalability - Future growth and complexity
Implementation Guidelines
- Start simple - Begin with client-side unless requirements dictate otherwise
- Test thoroughly - Validate recommendations in both modes during evaluation
- Monitor performance - Track impact on site speed and server load
- Document decisions - Record reasoning for mode selection
Troubleshooting Mode Issues
Client-Side Troubleshooting
Recommendations not loading:- Check JavaScript console for errors
- Verify PureClarity script loading
- Confirm zone placement HTML
- Test network connectivity to PureClarity
- Clear browser cache
- Check PureClarity admin for campaign changes
- Verify feed data is current
- Test with different browsers
Server-Side Troubleshooting
Slow page loads:- Profile server-side processing time
- Optimize database queries
- Check server resource usage
- Review custom template efficiency
- Verify Magento product data
- Check custom pricing logic
- Test template rendering
- Validate recommendation SKUs
Related Configuration
Zone Implementation
- Adding Zones Using HTML - Direct template integration
- Adding Zones Using Widgets - Widget-based placement
Advanced Features
- Server-Side Mode - Detailed server-side implementation
- Product Attributes - Custom product data
- Category Attributes - Category customizations
Performance Monitoring
- Dashboard Overview - System performance metrics
- Feed Status - Data synchronization monitoring