Editor's note (2025): Static site generators remain a core part of modern web architecture. Many of the tools listed here — Gatsby, Next.js, Hugo — have matured significantly. We now also use these frameworks as the foundation for interactive 3D web applications and AI-integrated platforms.
A static site generator is a tool that automates the creation and publishing of a website. These tools are primarily focused on taking files and converting them to static HTML. The files can contain a variety of formats such as content written in markdown, HTML, or even JavaScript. The tool will then take the file, parse the information from them, and output it to the desired format.
Static websites contain no dynamic content. A dynamic website is one which is generated by a backend server in response to a user request. A static website is generated all at once and then published to a web server.
There are numerous benefits to using a static site generator. The most notable benefits are:
Speed - Static sites will load incredibly quickly. There is no content that is dynamically generated or that needs to be compiled. Sites that are generated on the fly can sometimes take a long time to load because they need to compile all of the data and sometimes even execute some code. This is not the case with a static site generator.
Security - Because the sites are not dynamically generated, there are no chances for hackers to inject malicious code into the sites. Many large websites are targeted by hackers. Because static sites are not dynamic, there is no way to hack them.
Updates - Since static sites do not need to be updated, they are much easier to update in the case that you do need to make changes. The tools that generate the static sites are also simpler to update because they do not need to be able to generate a dynamic site.
Cost - Since static sites are do not require a database or server, there is less cost associated with their ongoing operation.
Community - There is a large community that supports static sites. A lot of the tools are free and open source.
If you only need a website for your business, a static website may be your best bet. Static websites are easier to maintain and can often be built for less money than a dynamic website.
If you plan to run a blog or news website, a static website may not be a good choice. Many bloggers find that the dynamic features of a content management system (CMS) make it easier to manage their blog.
Static sites can also be useful for building prototypes or for sites that don't need to be updated very often.
A static site generator is a tool that automates the creation and publishing of a website. These tools are primarily focused on making the workflow of creating a static website simple and intuitive. This is particularly important for large websites or websites with teams where maintaining content is a large time commitment.
The following site-building tools are static site generators. We've included a short description of each tool.
Gridsome: Gridsome is a modern, UI-driven website builder that empowers anyone to build and publish a modern website in seconds. The UI is powered by HTML, CSS, and Javascript; completely decoupled from a back-end CMS.
Jekyll: Jekyll is a static site generator for personal, project, or organization sites. It takes a template directory containing raw text files in various formats like Markdown, Textile, HTML, and YAML, and converts it into a static website.
Docsify: Docsify is a platform for building documentation websites. It generates static sites from your GitHub repository and hosts it for free.
Vuepress: Vuepress is a static site generator for Vue.js apps. It creates ready-to-publish static sites for Vue.js applications.
Gatsby: Gatsby is a React framework with built-in support for GraphQL and Webpack for building speedy static sites.
Hugo: Hugo is a static site generator written in Go. It takes Markdown files and templates and produces a full static website ready to be served by your favorite HTTP server.
Next.js: Next.js is a minimalistic framework for server-rendered and statically-compiled universal JavaScript apps.
JAMstack is a technique for building modern websites and web apps which are better performing, more scalable, and more secure than traditional systems. The JAMstack consists of the following technologies:
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JAMstack development involves creating a template in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and managing content using either a CMS or in static markdown files. You can then use a static site generator such as Gatsby or Hugo to build your website.
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Read article →JAMstack is a technique for building modern websites and apps which are better performing and more secure than traditional systems. JAMstack generally uses a combination of JavaScript, APIs, and prebuilt markup to generate pages without the need for a web server.
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