There are a many dynamic websites available online. In dymanic websites the content of a page can change from one session to another depending on who is loading the page, whether the user is logged in, and other factors.
In all other instances, you’re dealing with static pages. Websites that are static often have faster loading times and improved site performance in a variety of contexts.
If you are thinking that the concept of static site generator is new, then you are wrong. It’s been around for a long time, but the term “static site generator” has been in the news for the past few years. In the past, managing the static site was easy because there were fewer contributors, but now both the needs of creators and consumers have changed.
Using one of the React Static Site Generators, web developers can quickly and easily create a website using a variety of frameworks, tools, and technologies that are appropriate for the cutting-edge resources and forward-thinking mindset of the digital revolution.
Let’s first understand what a Static Site Generator is.
What is a Static site generator?
A static website consists of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that have been pre-built. It takes very little time to load because it is rendered in advance on the server and then sent to the browser for display. The alternative approach is a dynamic web page that complies with more traditional standards and is rendered each time a client makes a request for it.
On a static website, in contrast to a dynamic website, the client is shown the same data every time. This is a key distinction between the two types of websites.
Advantage of Static Site Generator
Flexibility
CMSs typically limit your options because they are related to specific database columns. Usually, you will need a plugin, a shortcode, or bespoke functionality to add a Twitter widget to a page.
But when it comes to a static website, you don’t have to worry about that because it gives you more flexibility than CMS’s. All you need do is put the widget directly into a file via a partial/snippet.
Securit
The HTML pages that are generated by static site generators are then sent to the users of the site. Because a backend is not required, we are able to easily host these static files on any web server or directly to CDNs.
This approach is incredibly secure because it does not involve any servers.
Hackers gain entry to a system through vulnerabilities in the server and the database most of the time.
Speed
Since a database and application server aren’t needed to generate static pages, they load far more quickly than server-rendered media. Using a content delivery network (CDN) instead of a traditional web server to deliver static assets completes the recipe for a quick and search engine optimization friendly website.
It’s important to keep in mind that static assets aren’t the only factor in how quickly your website loads. A website’s performance could be negatively impacted by using client-side Javascript or images that aren’t appropriately optimized. While this is true, a well-designed static site generated with a static site generator has the advantage of being as fast as lightning.
Scalability
Scaling up static websites is a breeze and doesn’t cost very much.
To expand our static websites, we need only more bandwidth and storage space, both of which can be purchased for a low price and are easily accessible through CDNs.
Low Maintenance
You do not need to handle the database while developing a website with SSGs, which decreases the amount of effort that is required along with the amount of maintenance and monitoring that is required.
Disadvantage of static site generator
Steep learning curve
The static website generator does not work like standard plug-and-play devices. It is necessary to understand coding in order to customize and manage static site generators.
Personalizing static site generators is not an easy task, and you will need to put to understand how they work.
Build time
The most significant drawback of static site generators is the length of time required for the build. Build time is the total amount of time that static site generators need to produce all the static pages of a website.
The number of posts and pages in the source determines how long it takes to build; the more there are, the longer it takes.
If you operate a website that often adds new content or has a significant number of articles, you should steer clear of using static site generators for this reason.
Why React with Static?
The intuitive APIs of ReactJS have propelled front-end programming to the fore. React.js is utilized by developers for component-based client-side application development, which contributes to an exceptional user experience. When you Hire React Developers, you would experience that static site generators are cheaper to produce than dynamic site builders and provide site visitors with a faster page view.
React provides server-side rendering to decrease user performance costs by avoiding UX penalties for single-page apps (SPA). React has no server-maintenance-required static web pages, and these static websites perform significantly better in Google indexing.
Top React Static Site Generators to Use
1. Gatsby
Gatsby provides not only a static website but also the top cloud platform for the web. It supports multiple servers and gives you the option to save your entire website in the cloud. It offers a lot of features that are extremely helpful for those who utilize cloud computing as well as those who want to build and customize online apps.
Static websites are much easier to create and host with the help of Gatsby’s backup and cloud services, which are both included in the package. It offers solutions that are ready to be implemented, allowing them to concentrate on what they do best, which is product creation.
Gatsby also includes an extensive ecosystem of plugins that may be used for progressive SPAs. Moreover, this extensive data plugin ecosystem enables websites to pull data from several sources, such as headless CMSs, SaaS applications, APIs, databases, and file systems, among others. Using this plugin system, you can add new features to the static site generator.
2. Hugo
Hugo is a free and open-source framework that generates static websites. This is a sophisticated way of saying that Hugo can be used to create a wide variety of websites, considerably beyond simple blogs and brochure pages.
Hugo allows for lightning-fast page generation, with typical build times falling below one second. The software enables you to preview changes to your web pages in real time using LiveReload and provides multitudes of theming capabilities.
Hugo employs a modular framework to facilitate the creation of static web pages. There are numerous modules available, including content, layouts, and data.
Hugo allows you to combine several modules on any page to achieve the desired functionality.
3. Next.js
Next.js is also one of the most prominent static site generators for React. It is constructed using React and JavaScript. In addition, this React static site generator is offered by ZEIT, a startup that focuses on simplifying cloud computing.
Next.js allows you to choose to employ server rendering for some of your site’s routes and provides the capability to easily preview them. It is something that only Gatsby could provide. With this, rendering React apps on the server has never been simpler, regardless of where the data is coming from.
Next.js also supports automatic code splitting, basic client-side routing, a webpack-based development environment, and any Node.js server implementation. Among other things, Next.js may be used to develop progressive web apps, server-rendered apps, and static websites.
4. Eleventy/11ty
If you don’t know what you’re doing, the number and variety of static site generators out there might be intimidating. Eleventy, on the other hand, stands out as a top static site generator because of its focus on simplicity. While Eleventy places an emphasis on simplicity, their official website is far from being feature-free.
Because 11ty is written in Node.js, knowledge of the Javascript framework is not required. It’s easy to get around the interface. While it may be lacking in some areas, its speed more than makes up for this.
Eleventy’s slick performance can be attributed to its well-written HTML code. The fact that it works with multiple template engines makes it a serious professional tool.
Perhaps you’re an accomplished programmer on the hunt for the perfect SSG to assist in the development of a custom website. Furthermore, the website should be personalized to your tastes. Try to stick close to Eleven and not wander off.
5. React static
React Static is one of the best static site generators that improves the drawbacks that other static site generators have. Because of that developers have a positive experience using it. React Static enables your website to have a more rapid transfer of data from its source to the destination.
It also has a smoother learning curve. Several developers are adopting React Static more than any other static site generator. In addition to the skills of data intake and querying, it also possesses prop mapping capabilities. Regarding the data colocation and the dynamic data, nobody has expressed any dissatisfaction yet!
6. Jekyll
Jekyll is one of the more established options for static site generators, it was first introduced in 2008. The simplicity of it lets developers easily design websites that are often used for marketing, personal projects/portfolios, and even eCommerce.
Ruby is used to write SSG. It renders Markdown, Liquid, and Textile templates from content, and produces a static website. Jekyll is also compatible with headless CMSs. This implies that the content editors can enter and change content without knowing how to code or contacting the development team for assistance.
The main objective of React Static is to preserve its simplicity while allowing for the creation of contemporary experiences. Additionally, it can contribute to its popularity by integrating with Github Pages.
Jekyll has become the platform of choice for a large number of smaller applications. By integrating this generator with Jekyll’s extensive plugin catalog, it is possible to make Jekyll more flexible and productive.
7. Pelican
Pelican is a virtually obscure static website generator that was created entirely in Python. If you are familiar with Python, you will be able to generate static web pages with the software by making use of the Markdown and reStructuredText markup languages.
In addition to being compatible with several different languages, Pelican offers a variety of themes that may be customized. The fact that data can be imported from WordPress, RSS feeds, and a wide variety of other third-party sources makes Pelican an excellent option for headless configurations.
Pelican comes with a robust set of plugins that you can customize easily, and that will add more functionality to the generator. If you are familiar with Python or would like to become so, then this is an excellent option to the static site generators, even though it is one of the most lightweight of these tools.
8. Docusaurus
The goal in creating Docusaurus was to make it as easy and fast to deploy as possible. This static site generator for React has all the fundamental pages and parts pre-built for you, as well as internationalization support. Docusaurus is very adaptable and compatible with a wide range of systems.
Docusaurus also has a wide variety of templates, search options, and image enhancement features to choose from. Because of this, you can rest assured that your website will be the only one like it on the Internet. When planning your next project, consider using the React Material Dashboard.
Docusaurus allows you to easily make and update static documentation websites. By utilizing MDX, a variant of markdown that allows the use of JSX within markdown, it is possible to generate a static React.js webpage. Blogs, revisions, and custom pages are all supported. In addition, Docsaurus has built-in support for both dark and light themes.
9. UmiJS
UmiJS is a high-performance React framework designed for enterprise use, with built-in support for creating scalable applications quickly. Umi creates a compelling front-end development tool when used in conjunction with its server-side implementation of routing and content delivery.
UmiJS is a routing-based framework that provides features such as on-demand routing-level loading in addition to more conventional routing features like those found in Next.js. Functional completeness is maintained via features like dynamic routing, nested routing, and permission routing, in addition to the more standard configuration and routing options.
UmiJS’s plugin mechanism offers a variety of feature expansions and business requirements straight from the product’s code base. UmiJS’s extensive plugin architecture covers the full spectrum of the source code lifecycle and product development, allowing it to accommodate a wide variety of functional extensions and business requirements. As a result, UmiJS has evolved into an adaptable option for building enterprise-level software. It’s also among the most widely used React Static Site Generators.
10. Cuttlebelle
Cuttlebelle is a static site generator that is built on top of React and features layouts that are built on top of React. This efficiently separates the content from the code on the page while also allowing the deployment of a single partial layout per page. The functionality of Cuttlebelle can also be expanded by utilizing react components that tap into the power of the npm community.
Include elements that use React in your layouts. You can also choose to merely develop components that can be reused throughout your layouts to extend Cuttlebelle by making use of React components. Additionally, you are free to use any module available within the npm ecosystem.
The assembly is not at all difficult. You just need to generate a layout for each page element to create a static page with Cuttlebelle. After that, you can combine the layouts to make your page. Because of this, it is one of the most effective React Static Site Generators.
Wrapping it up
The best React Static Site Generators are included in the list that is presented above. The creation of websites that are unique and engaging can be facilitated using static site generators. As a result, it is an indispensable component in the process of creating websites.
React is the most popular static site generator and has dominated the market. All the SSGs that are listed here have their own unique qualities that are quite valuable. Therefore, once you have your list of priorities created, choose one of these based on your.
Author Bio:
Archit Prajapati is a Content Writer & Digital Marketing Expert at WPWeb Infotech. He has deep knowledge and interest to work with new marketing strategies. His passion is to provide insights on the latest IT industry trends and help companies grow their business through technology.
