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
- Server-side rendering, essentially the opposite
Footnotes
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From Should you use an SSG or SSR to build your static site?, from the Go Make Things blog. ↩