Building Static Site Generators

Static site generators (SSGs) have revolutionized how we build fast, secure websites. Let me share why I love them.

Why Static Site Generators?

Benefits

1. Lightning Fast - Serve pre-built HTML files
2. Secure - No database vulnerabilities
3. Cheap Hosting - Deploy anywhere (GitHub Pages, Netlify, etc.)
4. SEO Friendly - All content is indexable
5. Version Control - Content in Git

Perfect For

• Blogs
• Portfolio websites
• Documentation sites
• Marketing websites
• Landing pages

How SSGs Work

Content (Markdown)
        ↓
    Templates
        ↓
  Build Process
        ↓
Static HTML Files

Popular SSGs

Building Your Own

Key components:

1. File Reader - Read markdown files
2. Parser - Extract frontmatter and content
3. Template Engine - Apply HTML templates
4. Generator - Write static files

// Pseudocode
const posts = readMarkdownFiles();
posts.forEach((post) => {
  const html = applyTemplate(post);
  writeHtmlFile(html);
});

Deployment

Deploy to:

• GitHub Pages
• Netlify
• Vercel
• Traditional hosting

That’s it! Your site is live. 🚀