Jamstack - the key to fast websites by simplifying the system - decoupling
Jamstack is a completely new approach that can be summarized by
simplifying it, returning to the roots when a website does not want
to be more than just a website. That is, it can be more, but unlike
the previous complex systems, we don't have to solve everything in
the web application. We can say that the website is liberated
because now it can be almost anything, and we don't have to worry
about the limitations of the complex system. In the past, when we
think of, for example, a PHP-based page like WordPress, to build a
website, we were limited by the boundaries of WordPress. Now, as the
official definition says, Jamstack eliminates the approach that
business logic (simplified website functions) determines the
appearance and operation of the website together.
Returning to the basics means that, alongside the most modern
technologies, we can build a fast website using simple HTML.
However, there may be a need for the business logic and functions
mentioned earlier, and we don't have to give them up, but we can
entrust them to a backend system that handles them much better than,
for example, the ERPNext or Odoo enterprise resource planning system, but also mention the Mautic Marketing and Newsletter Software, which can be connected through APIs.
However, not in every case is such a backend system necessary, and
in most cases, Jamstack consists of a single, highly customizable
and much faster static website component, that is, actual websites.
Using Static Sites
Previously used systems, such as the popular WordPress or Drupal CMS
systems, resorted to a similar solution when they could no longer
speed up their websites using other methods or had to serve such a
high traffic that couldn't be managed otherwise.
This means that we no longer dynamically generate individual web
pages when someone wants to view them, but we prepare them in
advance and show them from a cache.
The Static Site Generator solution does exactly this, but, as
mentioned earlier, independently of a slow, outdated layer. (It is
worth noting that Jamstack solutions are also available for
WordPress, but then it can be questioned why we need WordPress at
all!?)
The solutions listed below, which can be used to build complex web
applications thanks to the Jamstack "architecture," or used as fast
standalone web pages, generate static pages in advance and not
individually every time someone requests them. These pages are very
fast for users and for Google, including the mobile version (as
monolithon.com is based on this technology).
The website owner does not always consider whether developers like
to work with the given technology, but it is worth noting that this
is what it's all about, which ultimately allows for more economical
development, as more experts can be found for such projects than for
solutions that developers do not like.
Not only is development more economical, but also hosting, as
static pages can be hosted on multiple platforms that are much
cheaper or even free compared to traditional hosting. For a
low-traffic site, it's handy not to spend a fortune on it every
month, and for a high-traffic site, it's great because it doesn't
require more power for scaling, so hosting high-traffic sites is
also cheap or free.
The added benefit, in addition to the above, which is closely
related to economy and scalability, is that it can be used with a
free CDN system, meaning that the page will always load from the
server closest to the visitor, which allows for faster display,
while we don't have to maintain servers all over the world and pay
for them.
Astro.build
Fortunately, today we can choose from a multitude of Static Site
Generator solutions. One of the first and most widespread was HUGO,
which is still very popular and a good solution, which is why we
support it, but it did not address the problem of slow websites.
This is related to the implementation of interactive elements, for
the sake of simplicity.
And here comes Astro.build into play. Because most other SSGs also
use JavaScript alongside HTML (from which the text content is
built), and worst of all, a lot of JavaScript simultaneously. Even
one such solution requires significant resources from the visitor's
device, but if they run unchecked, they greatly slow down the page.
Astro.build offers a solution to this, generating only possible
HTML static code, without filling the page with wasteful code. This
allows an Astro.build-based website to be lightning fast even on
mobile, just like our monolithon.com page.
HUGO
HUGO was one of the pioneers, but it continues to evolve and is used by many because almost everything mentioned above can be said about it, which makes its use very advantageous. It can be integrated into the Static Site Generator, Jamstack system, and allows for the construction and management of multilingual websites. However, it doesn't handle JavaScript as cleverly as Astro.Build.
Nuxt.js
We mention Nuxt.js only because, even though it has the above super features, for those who not only want a website, whether it's a static site or a Jamstack-based one but also want to sell and use a lightning-fast system for this, we recommend the Headless VueStoreFront system, which is a fast e-commerce solution, among others, thanks to Nuxt.js.