Static Site Generator

A Static Site Generator (SSG) is a tool that generates a complete, static HTML website from source files such as Markdown, HTML templates, or data files. Instead of building pages dynamically at runtime (like in CMSs or server-rendered apps), SSGs pre-generate all HTML pages at build time and serve them as-is.

Typical Workflow

1. Write Content: Usually in Markdown or another markup language.
2. Design with Templates: Use HTML/CSS templates to define layout.
3. Build Site: The SSG compiles content and templates into static HTML files.
4. Deploy: The generated files are hosted on a static server (e.g., Netlify, GitHub Pages).

Markdown + Templates → [SSG] → HTML files → Static Hosting

Benefits of Static Site Generators

Benefit	Description
Speed	No server-side processing & pages load quickly.
Security	No database or dynamic execution at runtime reduces attack surface.
Version Control Friendly	Content can be stored in Git, enabling collaboration and rollbacks.
Easy Hosting	Can be hosted on any static file server or CDN.
Scalability	Minimal server resources required to handle traffic.

Popular Static Site Generators

Generator	Language	Use Case
Jekyll	Ruby	Blog and documentation (used by GitHub Pages)
Hugo	Go	Very fast builds, great for large sites
Gatsby	JavaScript (React)	React-based, modern web apps
Next.js (Static Export)	JavaScript (React)	Hybrid static/dynamic sites
Eleventy (11ty)	JavaScript	Simple and flexible for custom setups
Pelican	Python	Blog-oriented, Markdown-based
MkDocs	Python	Project documentation

Use Cases

• Developer Blogs
• Project Documentation
• Marketing Websites
• Portfolios
• Landing Pages
• Open Source Project Pages

Drawbacks and Limitations

• No dynamic content at runtime (e.g., comments, login) unless integrated via JS or third-party APIs.
• Build time increases with site size (especially in large SSGs like Gatsby).
• Non-technical users may struggle without a CMS unless paired with a Headless CMS.