static site generator

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A static site generator or SSG is software that developers can use (typically requiring command line access) to setup a personal site that uses a set of text content files typically stored on a server, and transforms them into a set of static HTML files for a website.

Why

There are many advantages to using a static site generator for your personal site:

  • Long term maintenance advantages
  • Archival ready HTML output
  • Can be hosted on any webserver
  • Free or cheap static hosting options are available
  • No "moving parts"; nothing to break
  • Easy to get started
  • Source files can be edited on an operating system. Usually its just text files!
  • Generators are typically fairly simple programs to write and modify
  • Lots of existing options; Few are better than most
  • No database-antipattern
  • Fewer security vulnerabilities with static HTML+CSS

Why not

There are also many disadvantages to using a static site generator for your personal site:

  • Most SSGs are written as CLI programs and are difficult for anyone who is not a developer or does not have the time to learn yet another series of magic text commands
  • Can be difficult to install due to the use of programming language package managers
  • Most SSGs don't scale well with large data sets
  • Supporting dynamic interactivity usually requires JavaScript and APIs
  • Changes can only be shown as quickly as the build runs
  • SSGs are not always a "simple" option: https://kevq.uk/static-site-generators-are-easy-to-useright/

How to

For details on implementations and examples of IndieWeb building blocks e.g.

  • How to send & receive Webmentions with static site generators

See:

IndieWeb Examples