To know the difference between render()and renderAjax(), you first need to understand how it works render().
, render() JS CSS, , , , - beginPage(), head(), beginBody(), endBody() endPage().
, JS , - , :
$this->registerJs("alert()", \yii\web\View::POS_HEAD);
<script type="text/javascript">alert()</script>
, $this->head().
, . ( , beginPage()) JS CSS , jQuery, , - JS .
$this->render() $this->renderPartial() - .
renderAjax() .
, beginPage(), head(), beginBody(), endBody() endPage(). JS , jQuery , AJAX.