DataTables Server‑Side with deferRender: Hidden Columns Payload Handling

Short answer

No. DataTables does not automatically remove hidden columns from the server-side JSON payload, and enabling deferRender does not change that behavior. The client downloads the full data array regardless of visible: false settings, and DataTables has no built-in option to tell the server which columns to omit.

Confirmed facts

• deferRender only delays creation of table cell DOM nodes until a row is drawn; it does not affect the Ajax response or remove hidden-column data.
• Hidden columns remain in the row data and are mapped by columns.data. When drawn, their cells typically exist in the DOM with display: none applied.
• DataTables 1.10 and 2.x do not provide a configuration option that instructs the server to exclude hidden columns from JSON.

How empty cells are handled

If a hidden column value is present, DataTables renders it in a hidden table cell rather than removing it. If the value is null or missing, the cell appears empty or uses defaultContent, just like any other column. The column remains part of the row’s data model even though it is not visible.

Steps for this case

1. Open the browser Network panel, inspect the server-side Ajax response, and confirm that values for visible: false columns are still present in data.
2. Run table.cell({ row: idx, column: hiddenIdx }).data() to verify hidden-column data is available client-side after draw.
3. Inspect the Ajax request payload to determine whether columns[i].visible is sent to the server.

If you need to reduce payload size

Because DataTables cannot signal hidden columns to the server, handle omission server-side or reduce the columns.data set. If your server needs visibility state, append it with ajax.data:

ajax: {
  data: function (d) {
    d.hiddenColumns = table.columns().visible().toArray();
  }
}

Do not omit array elements for hidden columns while keeping integer columns.data indexes, or subsequent columns will shift and display wrong data.

Missing diagnostic detail

Confirm whether your DataTables version sends columns[i].visible in the server-side request. If it does not, the server cannot know which columns are hidden without a custom ajax.data payload.