LinuxLinks, like most modern websites, is dynamic in that content is stored in a database and converted into presentation-ready HTML when readers access the site.
While we employ built-in server caching which creates static versions of the site, we don’t generate a full, static HTML website based on raw data and a set of templates. However, sometimes a full, static HTML website is desirable. Because HTML pages are all prebuilt, they load extremely quickly in web browsers.
There are lots of other advantages of running a full, static HTML website.
Here are some of the main advantages:
- Less software is needed to produce a static site. A small software stack can improve security. Static sites do not contain dynamic content, and are therefore immune to most common attacks;
- Obsolescence. Running a dynamic site relies on a content management system that constantly needs to be updated. The foundations of a dynamic site changes over time;
- Cost – every time a visitor accesses a page, a set of database queries are made with dynamic sites. While caching reduces these queries, there are always pages that aren’t in the cache or need to be refreshed. With a static site, the load on the server is considerably reduced;
- Previewable – as static sites are developed locally, you can play around with the site to your heart’s content without affecting the live site;
- A static site means that data is easier to export than if it’s contained within a database;
- Versionable – ideal to be used with version control system, such as Git.
A static site works very well in certain use cases. For example, it’s great for documentation. And static sites can be just as engaging as dynamic sites. The only real difference is that all the HTML is generated before being uploaded.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled our recommended JavaScript static site generators. All of these tools are released under a freely distributable license. Here’s our verdict.
Click the links in the table below to learn more about each static site generator.
| JavaScript Static Site Generators | |
|---|---|
| Next.js | Minimalistic framework for server-rendered React applications |
| Gatsby | React-based open source framework for creating websites and apps |
| Eleventy | Transforms a directory of templates (of varying types) into HTML |
| Hexo | Fast, simple & powerful blog framework, powered by Node.js |
| Astro | Website build tool for the modern web |
| Docusaurus | Build, deploy and maintain documentation websites |
| GitBook | Publish beautiful docs for your users |
| Publii | Desktop content management system |
| VuePress | Minimalistic Vue-powered static site generator |
| Metalsmith | Simple, pluggable static site generator |
| Docsify | Documentation site generator |
| React Static | Progressive static-site generator for React |
| Gridsome | Jamstack framework for Vue.js |
| Cuttlebelle | React static site generator |
| mkweb | Compact static website generator for Node.js |
| Assemble | Rapid prototyping and static site generation |
| Panini | Super simple flat file generator for use with Gulp |
| constexprjs | Stic site generator without a DSL or a templating language |
This article has been updated to reflect the changes outlined in our recent announcement.
 Explore our carefully curated directory of recommended free and open source software, covering every major software category.The directory forms part of our extensive collection of articles for Linux enthusiasts. It includes hundreds of detailed reviews, together with free and open source alternatives to proprietary software from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. LinuxLinks also covers interesting projects worth exploring, Linux-compatible hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful free and open source Linux application that we haven’t covered? Tell us about it using our submission form. |
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
You should provide a brief summary about JavaScript
JavaScript is a programming language that is high-level, often just-in-time compiled, and multi-paradigm. It has curly-bracket syntax, dynamic typing, prototype-based object-orientation, and first-class functions.