The Beauty of Static Sites
2025-02-10·4 min read
#web#performance
Static sites are making a comeback, and for good reason. They offer simplicity, performance, and security that dynamic sites often struggle to match.
What is a static site?
A static site is a website that serves pre-built HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. There's no server-side processing happening for each request.
The advantages
typescript
// Static site: Just serve files
app.use(express.static('dist'));
// Dynamic site: Database queries, templating, etc.
app.get('/posts/:id', async (req, res) => {
const post = await db.findPost(req.params.id);
res.render('post', { post });
});
- Performance: No database queries, no server processing
- Security: No SQL injection, no server-side vulnerabilities
- Cost: Can be hosted on CDNs for free
- Reliability: No server to crash or scale
The modern approach
Modern static site generators like Next.js, Astro, and Hugo combine the benefits of static sites with developer-friendly workflows:
- Write in React/Vue components
- Use modern tooling (TypeScript, ESLint, Prettier)
- Deploy to CDN with a single command
bash
# Build your static site
npm run build
# Deploy to Vercel
vercel deploy
Conclusion
For most content-focused sites (blogs, documentation, marketing pages), static is the way to go. Fast, secure, and simple.
This blog itself is built with Next.js and deployed as a static site!