What is JAMstack?
JAMstack is a modern approach to building websites. It’s an acronym that stands for JavaScript, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and Markup. The ‘stack’ is what brings everything together.
At its heart are the principles of decoupling and pre-rendering. Systems and services are separated so each component becomes easier to work with independently. And content is generated in advance, in the form of static pages and files/assets.
This pre-built content can then be serviced from a Content Delivery Network (CDN), which is a global network of servers and data points that work together to bring everything closer to your website user.
How is JAMstack different to traditional CMS platforms?
Unlike a traditional CMS, such as WordPress, a JAMstack site doesn’t rely on a single host server to handle the multitude of databases and user requests. By creating pre-rendered static HTML content and distributing it via a CDN, JAMstack sites perform better on multiple fronts. We’ll explain why a little later on.
Connecting everything together
When we talk about static content, we don’t mean that these are simple webpages that aren’t interactive. It just means that the dynamic features are handled at the CDN stage, rather than the host server. This is when JavaScript and APIs come to play. These are used to talk to backend services, allowing experiences to be enhanced and personalized.
Benefits of JAMstack
Security | Stability | Speed | Scalability |
Security
By serving pre-rendered static HTML, all potential connections to web applications or database servers are removed. As the dynamic functions are handled with APIs and client-side JavaScript, JAMstack sites are a lot less exposed compared to traditional CMS platforms. And since a JAMstack site is just a collection of static sites, the risk of hacks is reduced significantly.
Stability
With the complex work done during the build process, JAMstack sites have fewer moving parts by the time they’re ‘ready to go’. This means they’re extremely stable by default. As they’re pre-generated and hosted directly from a CDN, there’s no need for server updates, maintenance or patching, unlike a traditional CMS.
Speed
With a JAMstack site, pages aren’t generated via a request to the website’s host server, but are pre-built and delivered over a CDN. CDNs bring everything closer to your website visitors, with the files that make up your site deployed to servers as near to where they’re based as possible. So with this reduction in distance comes a faster load time, with pages often loading in under one second.
Scalability
For a growing website, because your deployment is essentially a stack of files that can be served anywhere, it’s just a case of serving those files in more places. So in practice, this means that as requests are handled by the CDN, more visitors are able to view your website at the same time.
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About Cobiro’s free website builder
Cobiro’s website builder is the only free website builder on the market that uses the JAMstack approach.
Simplicity | Use the drag-and-drop interface and choose from a multitude of elements and designs. |
No coding | Embrace a platform that delivers a world-class website, accessible to everyone. |
CDN-powered | Boost your website’s speed and performance by distributing it via a CDN. |
Marketing integration | Choose your preferred applications and access them from the platform. No plug-ins required. |
SSL certificate | Protect your customers’ confidential information by adopting the gold standard in website security. |
When it’s ready to launch, your website will be stable, secure, fast and scalable from the outset.
Glossary of key terms
API:
A software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. For example, checking the weather on your phone involves using an API.
CDN:
A global network of web servers and data centers. At Cobiro, we use Cloudflare, which is included across all of our packages.
CMS:
Content Management System - computer software that manages digital content.
Host server:
An allocated space where the files that make up a website (code, images etc.) are stored - often close to where the website lives.
HTML:
Hyper Text Markup Language. It’s the standard markup language for creating web pages and informs the structure of the page.
JavaScript:
The programming language for the web, providing the dynamic features on web pages, for example interactive maps and graphics.
Markup:
HTML web code which is generated in advance (pre-rendered), which is then served via a CDN.
Plug-in:
A software add-on that is installed on a website or program, improving its capabilities. For example, viewing a video on a website may require a plug-in.
SSL:
Secure Sockets Layer - a global standard in website security technology that encrypts communication between a website and its users. Get an SSL certificate included with Cobiro’s free website builder.
