Static websites: The Modern Approach to Web Development
Static websites: Three key benefits
Enhanced speed and responsiveness: Static Site Generators (SSGs) pre-build web pages, resulting in significantly faster load times compared to traditional Content Management Systems (CMS). This pre-generation approach ensures superior performance, especially during high-traffic periods, leading to a smoother user experience.
Efficient resource utilization: By leveraging Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) for storage and delivery, static websites minimize the need for expensive server resources. This approach eliminates the requirement for extensive RAM and CPU capacity typically associated with dynamic sites handling increased traffic, resulting in substantial cost savings and simplified infrastructure management.
Unlimited design flexibility: Static websites empower developers with complete creative freedom. Unlike CMS-based sites with predefined templates and field limitations, static sites allow for fully customized designs. This flexibility enables the creation of unique, tailored user experiences that precisely meet project specifications.
Demystifying Static Site Generators
Static Site Generators (SSGs) explained: SSGs are specialized tools designed to create static websites from various input sources. They function by extracting content from designated sources (such as Headless CMS) and applying it to predefined templates, resulting in a collection of pre-built static HTML pages.
Contrasting static and dynamic development: The primary distinction between static website development using SSGs and traditional dynamic website creation (e.g., WordPress) lies in their response to user interactions. While dynamic sites rebuild pages on-demand for each user request, static sites serve pre-constructed pages.
Dynamic vs. static page delivery: In dynamic websites, each user visit initiates a complex process: the system receives the request, retrieves content from a database, assembles the page, and then delivers it. This approach is typical for CMS-based sites like WordPress or Drupal. In contrast, static websites serve pre-built pages stored on CDNs, allowing for instant delivery upon user request.
Performance trade-offs: Although static websites may sacrifice some dynamic functionalities, they offer significantly faster loading speeds – a crucial advantage in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. This trade-off often favors static sites in scenarios where performance and efficiency are paramount, aligning with modern web users’ expectations for quick, responsive experiences.
Static websites offer several key advantages that make them an attractive option for many businesses and developers:
Superior Speed and Performance: Static websites load significantly faster than dynamic sites. Since pre-built HTML pages are served directly from a CDN, users experience quicker page load times, improving overall user experience.
Enhanced Security: Static sites have a reduced attack surface compared to dynamic websites. Without a database or server-side processing, they’re less vulnerable to common cyber threats like SQL injections or XSS attacks.
Cost-Effective: Static websites are more affordable to host and maintain. They require fewer server resources, which can lead to significant cost savings, especially for high-traffic sites.
Improved SEO: Faster loading speeds and improved security contribute to better search engine rankings. As of May 2021, page loading speed is an official Google ranking factor, making static sites advantageous for SEO.
Scalability: Static sites can easily handle traffic spikes without performance issues. They’re highly scalable, allowing for easy adjustments and extensions.
Reliability: With fewer moving parts, static websites are more reliable and less prone to downtime.
Content Delivery Network (CDN) Integration: Static sites work seamlessly with CDNs, further improving global content delivery and reducing latency.
Customization: Static site generators allow for customization of the content management system (CMS) to meet specific needs, including the ability to use multiple CMSs simultaneously.
Resource Efficiency: Serving pages from a CDN significantly reduces server storage costs and resource usage.
Environmental Benefits: The leaner infrastructure required for static websites contributes to a more energy-efficient web presence.
These advantages make static websites an excellent choice for businesses looking to improve their web performance, security, and overall user experience while potentially reducing costs and environmental impact.
Of course, SSG also has disadvantages, the main one being that this tool is less user-friendly, especially for website administrators who are not programmers or who do not have technical knowledge, which can make it difficult for them to manage content. However, there are now content management tools for static sites that are also suitable for people with less technical knowledge.
Another disadvantage of static sites is the difficulty of integrating dynamic and interactive elements into pages. The many extension options of SSG have allowed programmers to find a solution to this problem as well, and it is now possible to add such elements to static sites, but the solutions are still complex and require investment in development and in-depth knowledge of developers.
How to choose the right SSG for you?
Similar to many questions in the field of website development, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Choosing an SSG depends on a variety of variables and characteristics, including the business needs of the brand, the experience and level of technical knowledge of the team working on the project, the features required on the website, and the programming language in which you are developing.
The type of website you are developing
Matching the platform to the type of website you are developing is essential to the success of the website, and this is the first thing to consider when choosing an SSG. The features of a simple blog versus a heavy and complex e-commerce site are completely different, and you need to match the SSG to the features of the website you are developing.
There are a variety of SSG features, such as those developed to allow users to easily create image galleries and those created with specific Front-End design that is suitable for websites of a particular type.
However, most SSG tools allow support for websites of different types, from small brand websites to complex content portals to more powerful tools for managing large e-commerce sites.
What language and framework are you using?
Development with SSG is less limited than in the past in terms of the development language and frameworks that can be used. Today, you can find SSGs based on a variety of development languages that use different templates and run on different development environments. Accordingly, it is recommended to match the development language and framework you are using.
If you are writing code in JavaScript, the most popular frameworks for developing static websites are Gatsby and Next.js. Developing in a Vue environment? Check out Nuxt.js or Gridsome. Are you tired of heavy JS Frameworks? Check out Eleventy. If you like to write code with Go, then Hugo is probably the best framework for you.
Using a preferred language and framework can make the development process easier and the work easier. However, it is important to remember that the needs of your users and your business needs are more important, and therefore you need to match the development environment and framework to them first.
Many communities of developers have developed around SSG, where you can find answers to problems and questions that arise during the development process. Next.js and Gatsby are the most significant and largest players with active communities that offer a wealth of knowledge on everything related to website development with SSG. In addition, they enjoy the support of VC-funded companies – led by Gatsby, Inc and Vercel.
Next.js
Started as a small, no-configuration framework to allow for smoother use of Javascript, but today it already allows a variety of websites and applications with Next.JS, including the development of dynamic pages, static PWA websites, and more.
Next.js is a great framework for projects that require flexibility and the development of pages or parts that differ from each other. Its main advantage is that it allows for the development of a static website with the capabilities of a dynamic website.
Gatsby
Gatsby is the most popular framework in the world of static websites. It allows for the easy creation of interactive elements and the development of a very fast website with excellent performance in a relatively short time thanks to instant route changes and prefetching.
In addition, with Gatsby you can control a wide range of data sources using a single internal API, which makes it a great framework for marketing websites. It also offers broad support from a supportive community and a wide range of templates and plugins that will upgrade the website.
Nuxt.js
Nuxt is trying to do to Vue what Next did to React, meaning to solve most of the existing problems in React in application development. Today, it is a Higher-level Framework that comes with advanced elements and features, such as the ability to register additional API Routes, without using an external server.
Additional advantages include the ability to preview SSG, the vibrant community that is constantly developing and improving the framework, and more.
Eleventy
The significant advantage of Eleventy is that it uses Javascript to generate static pages, without the need for a Client-side Framework. The use of a framework with eleventy is optional and could be the reason that its use has been growing exponentially since it came to the world in 2018. Another advantage is that it is a Zero-config platform that is suitable for any project structure, supports 11 languages, and therefore is one of the best options in the world of static websites.
SSG Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow
Introduction
A lot of SSG tools have been developed in recent years, giving developers many options. Today, it is possible to develop with React-based frameworks, such as Gatsby or Next.js. However, not every project requires complex and heavy Client-Side JS. Accordingly, new and updated approaches to using the advanced tool have developed.
The Future of SSG
As CDNs become stronger than ever, we expect that soon there will be more tools that take advantage of on-demand rendering like DPR. With the right caching strategy, this approach can significantly reduce development time. It will not replace development completely, but it will reduce the number of pages that need to be developed in the first phase and allow you to focus on the critical pages, build them, launch them quickly, and then continue to build all the required pages.
Conclusion
Static websites now allow you to enjoy all the benefits of a CMS with improved performance of static HTML pages. Websites developed with modern SSG tools are reliable, secure, and can be changed and adapted. Their main advantage is the ability to handle high traffic volumes and save a lot of resources in the development process and afterwards.
