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Ezinne Anne๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฟโ€๐Ÿ’ป
Ezinne Anne๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฟโ€๐Ÿ’ป

Posted on • Originally published at Medium

Top ten popular static site generators (SSG) in 2023

Static sites were previously composed of hard-coded files comprising HTML templates, and maintaining them was a grievous task. So static site generators came along to remove those challenges, making it easier to generate and run static sites while maintaining them.

While there are many static site generators on the market, there are some exceptional ones. I compiled the top ten popular static site generators to analyze their features and benefits.

But first, you need to know the use cases of static site generators. There are times when a dynamic site is required and vice versa.

โ€œTop ten popular static site generators in 2023โ€ written in a large font. โ€œEzinne Anne Emiliaโ€ (authorโ€™s name) written in mid font with the authorโ€™s medium blog account-โ€www.medium.com/@ezinneanneโ€ written in a tiny font.

Uses of static site generators

Static site generators are required when creating simple sites. Sites that do not require any communication with the backend.

Sites that require user registration, product reviews, and so on do not need to be static.

But websites like portfolios, documentation and even landing pages should be static sites.

Benefits of using static site generators

Here are some benefits of using static site generators:

Speed

Static sites are fast at rendering pages. This is because they do not rely on servers to process their content. All static sites do is render content, and they are usually pre-generated.

Security

Static sites do not use servers. This makes them safer than CMs. Although all sites on the internet always have the possibility of experiencing cyber attacks.

Static sites are safer because there is no server. This makes it more difficult for attackers to find possible loopholes to launch an attack.

Reliability and performance

Static sites can usually handle traffic and render content to users. They are reliable too because they have little dependencies. When you wish to access a static site, the chances of seeing the content are high compared to dynamic sites. Their mode of operation is simple and has a lower performance overhead.

Cost-effectiveness

Because of the low cost of hosting, static sites are inexpensive to use. Normally, using dynamic sites would require paying a specific amount of money to cover performance costs. But with SSGs, hosting platforms allow free hosting. e.g., GitHub pages and Amazon S3.

Flexibility and customization

Static sites come with a set of pre-built templates. You could customize these templates and the user interface to suit your taste. A network of distributed servers serves content; this makes the site flexible enough to be rendered on any platform โ€” web, mobile, or desktop โ€” and in any geographic location too.

Top ten static site generators

The top ten popular static site generators are:

  1. Jekyll
  2. Eleventy
  3. Hugo
  4. Gatsby
  5. Next.js
  6. Pelican
  7. Hexo
  8. Nuxt.js
  9. Gridsome
  10. Metalsmith

Jekyll โ€” the most popular SSG

Jekyll is a static site generator built by Tom Preston Werner in 2008. GitHub uses it to make static sites and host them on GitHub pages. It offers multiple themes using its Liquid template language. With Jekyll, you can present the necessary metadata for your page for SEO and other benefits. Also, Jekyll supports Markdown, and it compiles your Markdown into a blog form. Jekyll and GitHub pages are both GitHub products, so they are usually compatible with each other. You could combine it with other hosting platforms, and it supports third-party plugins. Jekyll is written in Ruby. You would need to install Ruby and other programs to use it.

Advantages

It is blog-friendly.

It is free to use.

Disadvantages

It requires Ruby to be installed.

Eleventy โ€” the simplest static site generator

Eleventy is a static site generator for JavaScript users. They created it with vanilla JavaScript and Nodejs. The Liquid template language is used to create templates. It supports other template languages like Handlebars, Pug, Nunjucks, and so on. Eleventy is fast, loads pages at a high speed, and is beginner-friendly. It provides detailed documentation and has a developer community you can reach out to for support.

Advantages

It is simple to use.

It is free.

Disadvantages

It has lots of configuration options, which could be confusing for a beginner.

Hugo โ€” fastest static site builder

Hugo is a static site generator built by Google using the Golang programming language. It is termed the fastest because of its lightweight site build, which happens in a second. It consists of many beautiful themes that you can choose from. It provides templates that enable SEO optimization, site analysis, and much more. Hugo is open-source and free.

It supports a wide range of hosting platforms like Netlify, GitHub pages, and so on.

Advantages

It is easy to set up and use.

It has well-detailed documentation support.

Disadvantages

It requires technical knowledge to use.

Gatsby โ€” best for building progressive web apps

Gatsby is the best static site generator for building progressive web apps because it provides the features needed to build them. This SSG was built with React, and it is loved by React developers and the Jamstack community. Gatsby is used primarily by technical users. It uses GraphQL to import data. You can easily bring in content from content management systems, apps, and other platforms, and Gatsby turns it around to generate content for you.

Advantages

You can use multiple plugins with it.

When constructing a site, it follows accessibility guidelines.

Disadvantages

It requires technical knowledge to access it.

Nextjs โ€” best app SSG

Nextjs is a powerful React.js framework for building static applications. Nextjs does static site generation, but there are more. It also supports server-side rendering, image optimization, typescript configuration, and so on. It is written for developers and is one of the best static site generators for building apps.

Advantages

It provides features like CSS support, automatic routing, and so on.

It has great documentation and a developer community.

Disadvantages

It is not for non-technical folks.

Pelican โ€” best for Python developers

Pelican is a Python-based static site generator that publishes markdown or reStructuredText on a website. It uses Jinja to create templates and themes. It supports the use of Atom and RSS feeds. You can import content from other sources, and Pelican will render it on your site. It is one of the best SSGs for Python users; hence, it requires Python installation and knowledge.

Advantages

It is a great tool for developing static sites.

Many developers in the Python community love using Pelican.

Disadvantages

It requires Python knowledge to use it.

Hexo โ€” best lightweight SSG

Hexo is a Node.js static site generator that deploys static sites with a single command. It is easy to use. It supports the use of markdown, multiple plugins, and templates.

Advantages

It is flexible because of the various templates and themes it supports.

Rapid development and deployment

Disadvantages

It requires technical knowledge.

Nuxtjs โ€” the best for Vue developers

Nuxtjs is a Vue.js framework that is modelled after Nextjs. Like Nextjs, it supports server-side rendering, typescript configuration, automatic routing, and so on. Nuxtjs is used as an SSG when creating Vuejs applications.

Advantages

It offers significant features to get your site up and running.

It is a great tool for Vue.js developers.

Disadvantages

It is for Vuejs developers only.

Gridsome โ€” Jamstack SSG tool for Vue developers

Gridsome is an SSG tool that uses Vuejs to build templates. It is like Gatsby in that it creates progressive web apps too, and they have a similar design.

Gridsome uses GraphQL too, like Gatsby, and supports the use of markdown. renders content quickly and provides CMS integrations. It is open-source and free to use.

Advantages

It is free and has community support.

It builds large sites faster.

Disadvantages

It has a small community, and sometimes it is better to get help from the Jamstack community instead.

Metalsmith โ€” the best customizable SSG

Metalsmith is an open-source SSG that is easily customizable. It is also free to use. Metalsmith has plugins available that carry out the static site generation process. These plugins use a somewhat distributed approach to make it possible for users to customise the tool to their taste.

You could also use Metalsmith to generate PDF, ePUB, and other digital content.

Advantages

It can convert various formats.

It is flexible.

Disadvantages

It does not have strong community support.

Conclusion

That sums up the top ten popular SSGs. These tools are great to use, and these reviews are based on their popularity. There are other new SSGs that may be less popular but have outstanding features. If you know of any, please share them in the comments. Thanks!

Further Reading

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Top comments (2)

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fruntend profile image
fruntend

ะกongratulations ๐Ÿฅณ! Your article hit the top posts for the week - dev.to/fruntend/top-10-posts-for-f...
Keep it up ๐Ÿ‘

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Ezinne Anne๐Ÿ˜Ž๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฟโ€๐Ÿ’ป

Thank you