Static site generation
Static site generation creates pages as files in advance. Changes to source data must also reach the output served to users.
Produce pages before they are requested
Static site generation, or SSG, creates web page files in advance from content and templates. A generator performs this build step. Later requests can receive the prepared output without rebuilding the page for every request.
In a fictional business, a contact page is generated from approved location data. After an office move, changing only the source record is insufficient. The published page output must also be updated so the old address no longer appears.
This differs from dynamically generating HTML on request. A prebuilt page may still use JavaScript and data loaded later. Personal orders should not be published as publicly shared files. What matters is which content is known in advance and which data may only be supplied when access occurs.
Sources
Related terms
- Server-side renderingServer-side rendering produces HTML on the server. Freshness, personalisation and speed also depend on data access and caching.
- HydrationHydration connects existing browser HTML with its application logic. Visible content and working interaction require separate checks.
- Legacy systemAn existing system still in use, with technical and business dependencies accumulated over time.
- Multi-tenancyMulti-tenancy supports separate customer or group scopes in one solution. A tenant is not automatically one person or one database.
- Browser cacheThe browser cache stores suitable HTTP responses for later use. Reuse and revalidation follow the applicable rules.
- Cache invalidationCache invalidation ends reuse of a stored copy under defined rules. The source record remains a separate concern.
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