What is Jekyll and Pros and Cons of Static Website Generators?

Looking at a web design job for a blogger? Being proficient in Jekyll would be beneficial to obtaining this job. Jekyll is used to build static websites from dynamic mechanisms such as templates, partials, markdown, liquid code, etc. This software is not a blogging software. Meaning it does not come with content, templates or design any elements. The graphic designer still has to make all the components to building the website. Jekyll is about being more efficient in creating a blog site for the consumer.

First and foremost, static site generators are not managed by a UI design. It is a way to always have your website prepared for its visitors. Here are few pros and cons to running your blog site on Jekyll, a static website generator.

Pros

Security – Other than content, a blogger should worry about their website security. The most common blog site used is WordPress meaning they are under attack a lot by hackers and malicious attacks. Once it has been done there is really no way around it. With a Static site there is only a web server serving plain HTML pages that prevents unwanted people from destroying your work. Not to say that all WordPress sites get hacked, but it requires constant observation of the website and changing of the codes regularly.

Traffic Floods – Bloggers number one goal is to get content to their visitors. The last thing they want to hear is that their website has crashed due to peaks of traffic. When your website relies on database calls and heavy processing it can be more susceptible to crashing. A static website build uses very little server resources meaning that the site is better equipped for this type of situation.

Speed – The overall speed of the website will be significantly improved because web servers read HTML files quicker. This is a great Pro for building a website with a static generator like Jekyll. Some say you will instantly see the difference.

Disadvantages

Of course with each of these disadvantages there are solutions being made as this blog is posted! The best thing to do is always look for alternatives to the Cons we will list here:

No Admin UI – For bloggers it could be more difficult to upload content whenever you wanted to. Instead you would have to regenerate the site and write your document in a text editor. So if you are a blogger who likes to upload content with mobile devices, this may not be the website build for you. As mentioned before, there are alternatives to fix these issues such as Mobile Apps and Software’s that can change that.

No Comments – Blogger’s who rely on user input to drive traffic will not find use in a static website generator. Due to the HTML format you cannot add contact forms or comments. Of course there are third party services that will help add user input to your site.

Find a web designer that knows how to bypass these cons to maximize the usage of your site.

Hope you found this blog useful to help you decide if static web generators, like Jekyll, will benefit your blog. If you’re looking for a freelancer to build a blog website for you, check out FreelancingGig.com and Learn more today!