Jekyll
Gatsby
Have you ever been to a website that loads super fast? Chances are it uses an SSG (Static Site Generator). It’s a tool that builds your site ahead of time, so when someone visits, they get the page instantly. No waiting around for things to load it’s just there.
Jekyll is an open-source static site generator built with Ruby. It takes your text files (written in Markdown), processes them through templates, and generates a static website that you can deploy anywhere.
No databases, no server-side scripting it just pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s super popular among developers, especially for creating personal blogs and documentation sites.
Gatsby is a React-based static site generator that combines the best of modern web development just like GraphQL, fast performance, and a rich plugin ecosystem to help you build static websites that feel dynamic.
It pulls in data from almost any source (APIs, CMSs, Markdown files) and serves it as blazing-fast static pages.
Static Site Generators are a big game changer if you’re looking to build a website that’s fast, secure, and easy to maintain. Whether you’re launching a personal blog, portfolio, or a business website, they give you the freedom to focus on what really matters, your content and your users without all the extra complexity.
The best part? You’re not locked into one way of doing things. You can choose the tools and tech you’re most comfortable with, and scale things up as your site grows. From lightning-fast load times to better SEO and easy hosting, SSGs make the whole process smoother.
At the end of the day, it comes down to what fits your workflow and goals best. Pick the one that feels right to your requirements, and you’ll be well on your way to creating a beautiful, high-performing website that you’re proud of 🙌
Yes, Jekyll is developer-friendly and has great documentation. However, it does require Ruby and some command-line usage to set up and deploy.
Yes, Jekyll integrates seamlessly with GitHub Pages, allowing you to host your site for free directly from your GitHub repository.
No, Jekyll is file-based, meaning your content is stored as Markdown or HTML files. It compiles everything into static files, so there’s no need for a database.
Jekyll is perfect for building blogs, documentation sites, portfolios, and personal websites. It’s highly optimized for Markdown and Liquid templating.
Yes, Gatsby provides out-of-the-box features like optimized images, clean URLs, and fast load times—all essential for SEO performance.
Not at all, Gatsby has nice documentation and many starter templates, making it easy to get started, even if you’re new to React.
Yes, Gatsby has a built-in GraphQL layer, allowing you to query and manage your content and data in a flexible way.
Yes, Gatsby is built on React, with the added benefit of GraphQL to pull in data from various sources CMSs, APIs, files, etc.