Development / CMS
Create Sitecore Renderings, Layouts and their Types
SSaurav Kumar2 Min Read
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When you work with Sitecore, understanding renderings, layouts, and their types is key to how pages are built and displayed. Think of it like assembling a webpage from reusable building blocks controlled by a CMS.
A rendering is a reusable component that outputs content on a page.
Examples:
In Sitecore Experience Platform, renderings are the core building blocks of a page.
Transform complex Sitecore architectures into scalable, reusable, high-performance digital experiences with expert rendering and headless development.
Example: Static banner or simple text block
Example: Product listing with filtering logic
Works with Sitecore JSS
A layout defines the overall structure of a page.
Think of it like:
The skeleton where renderings are placed
A placeholder is a dynamic region in a layout where renderings are inserted.
Example:
Hereβs the flow:
In headless:
Renderings can have parameters to control behavior.
Examples:
Today, most projects use:
Sitecore renderings are presentation components that define how content is displayed on a page. They can be added to placeholders within a layout and can use datasource items and rendering parameters to control their content and behavior.
A Sitecore layout defines the overall page structure and typically contains the main placeholders where components can be placed. A rendering represents an individual component or content presentation that is inserted into those placeholders.
Common Sitecore rendering types include View Renderings and Controller Renderings in Sitecore MVC solutions. In headless implementations, JSON Renderings are used to provide structured component data to frontend applications such as React or Next.js.
A Sitecore View Rendering is an MVC presentation component that typically uses a Razor .cshtml view to render content. It is commonly used for components that do not require complex controller-based business logic.
A Sitecore Controller Rendering connects a rendering definition to a controller action. It is useful when a component requires custom business logic, data processing or a dedicated controller before producing its output.
A JSON Rendering is designed for headless Sitecore implementations. It serializes rendering data through the Layout Service so frontend applications can consume structured content and render components independently of the Sitecore server-side presentation layer.
Placeholders are defined areas within Sitecore layouts or components where renderings can be inserted. Placeholder settings can control which components are allowed in each location, helping content authors build pages within predefined design rules.
Rendering parameters allow developers to configure how a rendering behaves without hard-coding every variation into the component. They can control presentation options and other configurable properties for individual rendering instances.
In headless Sitecore development, rendering definitions and placeholders describe the page structure while the Layout Service provides structured JSON data to the frontend. Frameworks such as React and Next.js can then use that data to render the components.
Reusable Sitecore renderings help development teams create consistent components that can be configured and reused across multiple pages. This can improve maintainability, accelerate content production and support scalable enterprise digital experiences.
