When a web page does not allow switching from one session to another, depending on who loads it, then this site is a static page. Static web pages do not contain dynamic content, these being simpler allows for faster loading time and better overall performance. Gatsby js is a well-known static page generator.
By "static page" we mean a website that uses server-side rendering to serve pre-built HTML, CSS and JavaScript files to a web browser, this is in contrast to other traditional web pages, which work by displaying the website at the time of the request.
They go on to say “Static sites allow you to decouple your content repository and front end, giving you more flexibility in how your content is served. Cost-effectiveness is another reason businesses migrate to a static site, because static files are lightweight and often faster and cheaper to serve."
In this blog we will cover some of the best website generators like Gatsby js, these include tools that serve to facilitate the creation and execution of the website, as well as contribute to its style, content creation, publication, and subsequent updating of the pages when necessary. They are vital for people who are not experts in web development and want to create their own page, used to create blogs in most cases.
Among the websites that work perfectly being static, we have personal blogs, documentation pages, landing pages, personal portfolios, and brochure pages of a company or organization.
Most popular static site generators
Gatsby js
This is a static site generator with a special feature: it's built with ReactJS and powered by GraphQL. It allows anyone with basic programming knowledge or a beginner in this field to create attractive and feature-rich web pages.
Read more: Nearshore Software Development: How to Choose the Best dedicated development team
What is Gatsby.js?
On their official website, they define it as: “Gatsby.js is the fast and flexible framework that makes building websites with any CMS, API, or database fun again. Create and implement headless websites that drive more traffic, convert better, and earn more revenue.”
Jekyll
It is one of the most popular static site generators and is further powered by Github Pages. It supports Markdown, comes with a taxonomy system, and can be used with the Liquid template language. Ruby on Rails and Spotify for Developers use Jekyll.
Hugo
Open source, Hugo defines itself as “the world's fastest framework for building websites”. It allows the developer to preview any changes they make to the website while they are being made, working hand in hand with LiveReload and its theming functionality. Hugo allows you to combine multiple modules on any page to achieve exactly the features you need for your website.
Gridsome
It works hand in hand with Vue.js and GraphQL, allowing the developer to create powerful static web pages. Also, you can use data extracted from WordPress to create a CMS head. A negative point of Gridsome is that it is difficult to use for beginners, you need to have development experience to learn how to use it properly and get the most out of it. Every Vue.js expert can handle it perfectly.
Eleventy
As stated on their website, “Eleventy was created to be a JavaScript alternative to Jekyll. It is zero configuration by default but has flexible configuration options. Eleventy works with your project's existing directory structure. Eleventy uses separate template engines. We do not want to hold your content hostage. If you decide to use something else later, having your content decoupled in this way will make the migration easier.”
Eleventy is not a JavaScript framework, which means zero boilerplate client-side JavaScript “We're thinking long term and opting out of the framework rat race. The toolchain, code conventions, and modules you use in your font stack are decoupled from this tool. Work from a solid foundation of pre-rendered templates that fit your project's basic incremental requirements."
Our projects with Gatsby.js
At Rootstack we have used Gatsby.js in multiple projects with our clients, we even use it to improve our own website. A technology was needed to replace a project that was no longer scalable and in which all implementations had to fulfill several functions. The team of experts decided to turn to Gatsby.js to fix it.
Gatsby.js generates static sites which is very beneficial when it comes to performance, the site has a fast load time due to this. Another benefit of this technology is SEO handling, no extra effort or integration with an additional library was needed to improve SEO.
Additionally, through Gatsby Cloud a fairly fluid development flow was achieved since it has an integration with the git repository of the Rootstack website.
These are some of the best static site generators on the market today, with several being used by Rootstack when our expert developers deliver quick and effective solutions to our international clients. Be part of a team that is constantly changing the digital landscape around the world.
We recommend you on video
