Static Site Generator vs CMS – A sluggish website is something no one appreciates. Especially when everyone is on the move. Because of this, if your website isn’t fast enough, you’ll be left behind. The static site generator vs CMS will assist you in creating an incredibly fast website. Anywhere you visit your static site generator-built website will load immediately.
Static-site generators, on the other hand, serve you quickly but provide few features compared to CMS-based sites. CMS, on the other hand, allows you to manage your content more structurally than a static site generator vs CMS.
Keep in mind, however, that compared to a static site generator , using a CMS will require you to sacrifice time. Which one do you prefer?
difference between static site generator vs CMS website
What’s a CMS?
A static site generator vs CMS can be used to create a website with a lot of content. You can manage your website’s content with CMS, which is a piece of software by that name. I like how it has the front end (the website) integrated so well with both the back end and control panel in one neat little package.
CMS makes use of dynamic websites as opposed to static ones like an SSG. In other words, it generates site code just before it’s sent to the customer. There’s no “build-step” needed for this technique, but depending on how many people visit, it could be taxing on your web server.
WordPress and Joomla are two widely used CMSs. WordPress is said to be used by 35% of all online sites, just to give you an idea of how widespread it is. News Portals, Matrimonial Portal, Real Estate portal and other Web Portal can be develop using CMS website development technology.
How Static Site Generator vs CMS Works
A Content Management System (CMS) develops the website dynamically in response to the client’s request and then assembles all the data from the database and processes the content using a template engine like, for example, WordPress.
While this is true for dynamic sites, static site generator vs CMS send all page requests to the web server. The server then goes out and looks for the matching file and returns it to the user.
The static site has better performance, caching is more convenient, and perhaps most importantly, it is safer.
The static site generator vs CMS does not rely on databases or other external data sources, and it also does not perform any server-side processing when a user accesses the website.
Why Use a Static Site Generator vs CMS?
There are numerous reasons to use a static website. The most common are as follows:
- Static site generator vs CMS provide compiled files to the browser, which significantly reduces the time it takes to load the site. On the other hand, a dynamic site accesses data from a database on each page request, which can lead to delays, frustration, and page abandonment for a content-rich site.
- Because there are no database calls, static websites can perform better than dynamic ones. Additionally, all of the files are already in one place, ready for the server to send to the client. Static sites benefit from this flexibility because they can produce results for the client faster than dynamic sites.
- With no need for a back-end, a content delivery network (CDN) can host the entire site, resulting in better performance for global users.
- Reliability: Because static sites have fewer moving parts, they are less likely to go down than dynamic sites. Because it doesn’t rely on a database connection, it’s more reliable and less likely to go down.
- CMS security: More plugins must be installed for better CMS performances. Additional plugins mean an additional layer of security that may introduce new vulnerabilities. So it poses a security risk because no server-side website code is required in a static web page, making it impossible to exploit security.
- There is no database, so there are fewer things that can go wrong, which necessitates less maintenance. Similarly, if there are fewer parts to maintain, the total cost will be lower.
- There are some static site generator vs CMS websites that can be hosted for free on Github, such as Jekyll. Apart from that, it comes with built-in blogging capabilities.
Why use a CMS?
After reading about all the benefits of SSGs, you might conclude that CMSs don’t have much to offer. CMSs, on the other hand, have a unique set of benefits—some of which you may be unaware of.
Dynamic websites
Websites created with a CMS are dynamic, which means they can’t be generated and served as quickly as static files. However, this also means that no build-step is required, and interactive features can be added very easily! For websites that use forms, user accounts, and the like, this last benefit is critical. APIs must be used on static website design, either from your server or from a third-party service, in order to perform these functions effectively. Thus, CMS can be regarded as an all-in-one solution.
Ease-of-use
It’s easy to work with CMS if you’re a developer or not. Most static site generator vs CMS and hosting services offer CMS that is ready to use right out of the box or that can be installed via a menu option. Simple installation goes hand in hand with simple use. Content management systems (CMSs) typically offer a user-friendly control panel from which you can make changes to your website’s settings, edit its content, and add new themes and plugins. Non-technical users will be able to make changes to their websites themselves instead of having to rely on developers. In addition, it makes the editing and creation of website content go by much faster.
Portfolio/Landing page
A portfolio website is an excellent candidate for an SSG. Except for a contact form, it doesn’t require any interactive elements and doesn’t change that frequently. Using an SSG and all the benefits static websites have to offer is the way to go if you’re making something like an online portfolio or landing page for a product.
Blog
A blog can take a lot of different forms. Its development is heavily influenced by the author’s requirements. If you only write once a week or less, you might want to use an SSG. This is especially true if you use JAMstack and enjoy writing Markdown.
News site
A news website, for example, needs to be treated differently because of the frequency with which it publishes content. It’s possible that using an SSG to build your site will take too long, so a CMS is a better option. Aside from that, nobody will visit all of your pages if your site has that many. As a result, all of the generated static files just take up more and more space.
eCommerce
A CMS is an excellent fit for an eCommerce website. For example, you’ll have to dynamically add and remove products and offer the ability to purchase them while doing so. Whocommerce and Magento are best example of CMS Ecommerce website. A CMS, on the other hand, offers all of these advantages right out of the gate. As a result of these constraints, SSG is a poor choice for e-commerce.
Conclusion of Static Site Generator vs CMS :
These web development options are, as you can see, a mixed bag. Choosing between SSG, CMS, and the “hybrid” Headless CMS is entirely up to you. However, I hope that this guide has assisted you in making a decision. As a result, you now have a better idea of which solution is right for you!
