Introduction to static site generators

Static site generators (SSGs) are tools that convert plain text input files (e.g. Markdown) containing the websites content and markup into static HTML websites that use SSG templates and raw data. Static sites consist of pre-rendered HTML webpages that load the same way every time a user visits them, which results in short loading time and fast performance while maintaining limited hosting requirements.

Popular static site generators include:

• Just-the-Docs;
• GatsbyJS;
• Hugo;
• Docusaurus.

Depending on what SSG you choose, you can build various types of websites such as portfolios, landing pages, blogs, galleries, multi-language pages, news articles, technical documentation, and product pages. Technical documentation writers often choose static-site generators because they allow for focusing on content itself with minimal effort required for layout and styling thanks to numerous built-in templates.