The pros and cons of blog creation tools

Why you might want to use a static site generator to create your blog

Advertorial When it comes to creating a blog, there are many different options out there. You can use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, or you can use a static site generator. So, which one should you choose? In this article, we will compare the two options and discuss the pros and cons of each. We will also give some tips on how to choose the right option for you.

What is a static site? 

Any time a user requests a web page, what they receive is always the same: a static HTML page consisting of HTML markup code, text, and images. But how that page is created can vary markedly.

A dynamic website, such as that generated by WordPress, generates the requested page by loading the page content from the database and then applying the site theme and other page styling via PHP scripts. The dynamically created page is then sent to the user's browser.

A static website, on the other hand, is created using only HTML, CSS, and Javascript files. When a user requests a page, the contents of the page are served to the user without any need for database calls or page generation. The result is a very fast and lightweight website.

Pros and cons of creating a static site 

There are several benefits to creating a static site:

● Static sites load faster and are more lightweight than dynamic sites.

● Static sites require fewer server resources.

● Static sites are more secure as they have fewer attack vectors.

● Static sites are typically easier to maintain, as there is less code to update when you make changes.

However, static sites do have some drawbacks:

● Design changes must be coded manually. Sites created with a CMS like Wordpress can take advantage of all the many templates available for the design of their site. To make any design changes to a static site, you must manually change the CSS file associated with your site.

● It's vitally important these days that your site is responsive and able to be viewed on multiple platforms such as mobile phones, tablets, and desktops. Most WordPress templates are automatically responsive. With a static site, you'll need to ensure your CSS is responsive and that your site is readable across multiple platforms.

● A dynamic site such as WordPress can add functionality with any number of plug-ins. Do you want to display an event calendar or today's weather? That's no problem with the right plug-in. However, you'll need to code this functionality yourself if you want to add it to your static site.

What is a static site generator? 

A static site generator lets you enjoy the benefits of creating a static site while overcoming some of the negative aspects. A static site generator creates HTML pages by combining data (such as text and images) and a set of templates. It automatically builds the individual HTML pages needed for your site, saving you the time of hand-coding each page.

Why choose a static site generator? 

A static site generator has several advantages over a CMS like WordPress.

● Speed. Because static site generators create webpages before they are requested by a user, the pages load faster.

● Lightweight. Static websites created by a static site generator require fewer server resources.

● Support for Markdown language (see Getting Started | Markdown Guide). Many static site generators offer support for markdown, so you can format your text quicker and more easily than using standard HTML.

● Standard Template and Layout Options. Styling and formatting your pages is often the most time consuming part of creating a blog. Most static site generators offer several standard templates so you can get up and running quickly.

● Customization. You can easily customize the included templates to create a personalized look and functionality for your blog.

How to pick the best static site generator for your blog 

There are several popular static site generators available. Selecting the one that's right for your blog depends on a number of factors.

● If you need a solution that's beginner friendly, you might want to consider Jekyll, which was developed specifically to support blog content.

● If you're looking for more power, Gridsome offers support for Vue.js and GraphQL. This power comes with a high learning curve, however, so you'll need some front-end development experience to make the most of this solution.

However, there are many static site generators using a variety of scripting languages and front-end frameworks. If you are already familiar with a particular scripting language or front-end framework, you will be most comfortable with a static site generator using those technologies.

You can browse this list of static site generators to find one that works for your needs.

Easily deploy your blog each time you update with Deploy Now 

Just as a static site generator helps automate the mundane tasks associated with creating and formatting your blog, Ionos' Deploy Now automates the tasks associated with deploying your blog to the server each time you create a post or make a change to your blog.

Deploy Now works with a variety of static site generators to deploy your site directly from your GitHub repository each time you perform a Git Commit. Get started today by learning more about Deploy Now or creating a sample project.

Sponsored by IONOS.