Rise of Static Site Generators

Justin Mayer — @jmayerstratalabs.com

nonprofithq.orggetpelican.com

@jmayer

First Web was static

✦ content mixed with tags✦ antithesis of DRY✦ only for technical folks

@jmayer

Getting complicated

✦ HTML generated by server✦ content stored in database✦ web-based editor

@jmayer

At what cost?✦ deployment✦ maintenance✦ security✦ no longer “just files”

@jmayer

Static sweet spot

✦ simple markup✦ templates → DRY✦ just files

@jmayer

Static sweet spot

✦ reliable and fast✦ you control your data✦ easy deployment

@jmayer

Deployment options

✦ rsync✦ GitHub pages✦ S3 / Rackspace Cloud

@jmayer

Pelican

✦ written in Python✦ over 200 contributors✦ thriving ecosystem

@jmayer

Challenges

✦ not for data-heavy sites✦ extra generation step✦ limited interactivity✦ could be more user-friendly

@jmayer

Creative solutions

✦ caching and parallel I/O✦ web-based editing✦ site search

Justin Mayer@jmayer

stratalabs.comnonprofithq.orggetpelican.com