Static site generators (SSGs) are engines that convert text written in Markdown files into pre-rendered HTML, i.e., they’re not generated dynamically at request time, only rendered ahead of time.

This site uses a static site generator under the hood. Quartz uses Hugo (written in Go).

Pros:1

  • Almost no lag between URL request and HTML response.
  • Site is quite resilient.
  • Very few server resources are needed, so hosting costs are much less expensive.
  • No database to attack or otherwise compromise.

Cons:

  • Content can’t be customised dynamically.
  • Less options for content management.
  • Periodic events, like scheduled posts or time-based updates needs a separate server process.

See also

Footnotes

  1. From Should you use an SSG or SSR to build your static site?, from the Go Make Things blog.