The comeback of static websites

Static websites have made a strong comeback in the modern web era — and for good reason. In a time where fullstack frameworks, serverless platforms, and dynamic single page applications dominate the landscape, it might seem outdated to ship plain HTML. But in practice, I’ve found that static site generators sometimes offer the cleanest, fastest, and most reliable approach for some projects.

Let’s look at when — and why — I reach for them.

What Is a Static Site Generator?

At its core, a static site generator is a tool that takes content (usually written in Markdown), combines it with templates, and outputs pre-rendered HTML files — at build time. These static files can then be served directly via any web server or CDN.

That means:

  • Blazing fast response times
  • Offline access is possible
  • Very low hosting costs and very few requirements for hosting
  • Scales easily (horizontally) to millions of requests
  • No runtime rendering, no backend logic required, no database lookups on each request

Popular static site generators include Hugo (Go), Astro (JavaScript) and Jigsaw (PHP). Also Next.js supports static generation under certain conditions.

This build-once, serve-everywhere approach might sound limited — but it’s a powerful paradigm when used in the right context and it's an interesting perspective to think about when planning your next project and asking yourself the question: How could this be created as a static website? Which features could we implement this way?

Why I Use Static Website Generators in Modern Projects

Static site generators aren’t a relic of the past — they’ve evolved into a modern, powerful, and forward-thinking approach to building for the web. Here’s where they shine in my experience:

Performance, by Default

Static sites are fast — not because of clever optimizations, but because there’s nothing to slow them down. HTML is ready to serve, instantly cacheable, and easy to distribute via CDNs. No cold starts, no database bottlenecks, no unexpected backend delays. Combine this with a clever cache and your website can even be accessed by visitors when they are offline.

Minimal Attack Surface

With no backend logic or server-side execution, static sites offer dramatically lower risk. There’s no login form to exploit, no database to breach, and no runtime code to hijack. For security-critical projects, this is a huge win.

Cost-Effective Hosting

Static sites are easy — and cheap — to host. Services like GitHub Pages, Netlify, and Cloudflare Pages offer free hosting tiers with built-in CI/CD and global delivery. That makes them ideal for side projects, documentation sites, and bootstrapped MVPs. I prefer to use Amazon Web Services with S3 Storage and Cloudfront CDN.

Simplicity and Control

The content lives in your Git repo. Deployment is a git push. No CMS UI, no database schema to maintain, no plugin jungle. The mental model is simple: you write Markdown, commit it, and the site updates. This workflow is both empowering and durable.

Git-Based Content Workflow

If your team is comfortable with Git, you get version control, change history, pull request reviews, and rollbacks — all for free. That’s a massive productivity boost for tech-savvy teams or solo developers.

When Static Doesn’t Work

Static site generators are powerful — but like every tool, they have their limits. Here are scenarios where I tend to choose something else:

Dynamic Applications

Anything involving user sessions, authentication, real-time updates, or personalized content is a poor fit. You can add API calls, serverless functions, etc. — but if this happens regularly then you’re fighting the tool, not using it as intended.

Massive Content Scaling

SSGs generate all pages at build time. That’s fine for a few hundred, thousand, or even several thousand pages. But beyond that, you should check if static website generators are really the right tool.

Non-technical Editors

If your team needs a WYSIWYG editor or non-technical content authors, Markdown-in-Git might be a blocker. You can integrate headless CMSs like Contentful or use Statamic which tries to combine both worlds — but at that point, the simplicity of a "static" site starts to erode. Don't get me wrong: These headless CMSs are still a great addition to static site generators — especially when you want to empower editors without giving up the benefits of a static architecture.

Real Projects Where SSGs Worked Great

Here’s where I’ve used static site generators successfully:

  • Personal websites and blogs — fast, cheap, reliable
  • Documentation sites — especially when you want a fire-and-forget setup that just works without maintenance or server dependencies
  • Marketing and product landing pages — easily deployed to scalable and cost-efficient infrastructure
  • Internal dashboards or knowledge bases — where login isn’t needed

One project I particularly enjoyed building was with Statamic. It combines the flexibility of a flat-file CMS with the structure of a Laravel backend and works great for content-heavy sites where editors still need a nice UI — without giving up the static mindset.

I’ve also used Next.js in SSG mode for hybrid projects — static routes for performance, dynamic endpoints for flexibility. Combined with Netlify or Vercel, this setup is hard to beat.

Closing Thoughts – The Joy of Less

Not every website needs to be a fullstack app. In fact, most don’t.

Looking back, the web started with static HTML — hand-written, hard-coded, but simple and fast. Then came dynamic systems like WordPress, bringing great power and flexibility, but also a growing complexity: plugin dependencies, update cycles, security concerns, and server management headaches. Static site generators are, in a way, a return to form — but with all the modern tooling we need for automation, collaboration, and performance.

Static site generators remind me that simpler is often better. They’re not a step backward — they’re a return to the core strengths of the web: speed, clarity, and accessibility.

If your project doesn’t need a backend, don’t build one. If your content changes weekly, don’t over-engineer it. If your stack makes you feel like you’re wrestling a bear, maybe it’s time to simplify.

Static website generators offer a clear path toward fast, stable, and low-maintenance websites. And in a world of growing complexity, that simplicity feels like a superpower.