Dynamic versus static websites can be confusing, especially with the trend towards hybrid and progressive websites, web apps, and an increasing desire for personalization.
We break down the differences between static and dynamic websites in the following article, so you can make the right decision for your next project.
Static Websites: What Are They?
An static website is a collection of pre-rendered web pages with hardcoded, fixed content and structure. Due to this, all users see the same content regardless of their location, browser, or identity.
The structure of static website pages is typically set up using HTML, and the color and other visual elements are added using CSS. There is no need to connect to a database when creating static web pages.
A static website stays the same once it is published and does not reflect changes to user actions. Every page on the website must be manually edited if you wish to see something different. The process can be very time-consuming, especially if you have a large website that needs to be updated.
Static websites have many advantages
- It takes less time to build and deploy a static website than a dynamic one.
- By duplicating your static web pages' basic code, you can keep elements consistent while making minor changes to differentiate them.
- Websites that are static tend to be more secure.
- Due to their speed, static websites rank better in search engines.
- It is not necessary to use complex software to build static websites.
- A static website is cheaper to build than a dynamic one.
- On a static website, you can change the layout and design of every page.
- Static websites can be easily restored after a crash or DDoS attack by redeploying the codebase.
Static websites have some disadvantages
- When updating static websites, especially large ones, it can be challenging and time-consuming.
- A website can be hard to scale once you have built the basic structure.
- Your static website may have stagnant content due to the effort required to update it, making it feel outdated.
- You cannot create unique experiences for visitors or interact with them.
What Is a Dynamic Website
Real-time page generation is the hallmark of dynamic websites. Based on the user's request or the browser they use, it is possible to customize what they experience. Server-side programming languages like PHP, C#, or Python are typically required for creating dynamic websites. An external database or a content management system (CMS) is typically used to pull content for dynamic websites.
Using server-side code, dynamic websites can generate real-time HTML pages customized for each user. Statistic websites tend to be informational, whereas dynamic websites contain interactive elements that continually change. A truly interactive website is typically created by combining client-side programming with server-side programming.
User actions generate and display content on dynamic websites. An interactive website's interactive elements, as well as the developer's skill, determine how much change occurs.
You may have set up a user profile on a website such as Amazon or Walmart. As you visit the page, you will see recommendations selected for you based on your past purchases. In addition, you can access information about your account and past orders. Based on your past behavior, the site creates a unique experience for you.
Dynamic Websites Have Many Advantages
- In addition to providing more functionality to websites, they also allow users to interact with them.
- An organized way of requesting and storing information can be achieved with dynamic sites.
- Users' needs are taken into account when displaying content.
- By connecting a CMS to these types of websites, additional website flexibility is possible.
- They allow multiple users to modify the content.
- Making adjustments and changes is less costly than on a static website.
- Visitors and customers are more likely to return to dynamic sites.
The Disadvantages of Dynamic Websites
- The construction of the site foundation, the creation of database connections, and the addition of other features can increase the cost of a dynamic website.
- When displaying content on your dynamic website, you may encounter design and layout limitations.
What Is the Evolution of Website Content?
During the early days of the internet, static websites dominated the web. As a result, they were limited to displaying content for informational and entertainment purposes. In the absence of visitor information, web developers could not customize experiences for visitors.
The internet became more reliant on us as time passed, and users wanted more from websites. Thus, developers looked for ways to make websites more interactive so that users could engage in real-time interactions, such as shopping and trading. In order to pull real-time content into a website, they leveraged client and server-side programming languages and databases.
There are both static and dynamic website pages on many websites today. In addition to the flexibility it provides website masters, it allows them to make changes that keep fresh content flowing and adapt to the ever-changing needs of users.
Static Versus Dynamic Websites: What Are the Main Differences?
Static websites do not change content unless the website developer changes the source code, which is the biggest difference between static and dynamic websites. Dynamic sites can change information based on user preferences, location, and time of day.
Websites typically upload static content along with them. Any action a user takes will result in the same download and presentation of what he sees. Depending on the settings set by the website administrator and the actions of a user, dynamic websites change the format of content.
Information from static websites is easier to cache. Dynamic websites are more challenging to optimize. Static content can be stored or ‘cached’ on an edge servers of a content delivery network (CDN), making the information accessible at faster speeds.
Website content can be cached to speed up loading for users. This is because edge servers are located in different parts of the world. Due to this, CDNs enable users who live nearby to receive faster and more reliable responses. Dynamic websites, on the other hand, have frequently changing content, making doing the same less feasible. Caching private information also carries security risks.
Static sites also differ from dynamic sites in that their content is directly downloaded from the server. Before dynamic content is downloaded from the server, it must pass through multiple application logic layers.
Examples of static content:
- HTML pages
- Images
- Audio files
- Video files
- Static online forms
- Downloads (software, spreadsheets, documents)
Examples of dynamic content:
- Database
- User account info
- Translated web pages
- Text
- Video and voice messaging apps
- Real-time data (weather forecasts, health data, stock prices)
Dynamic or Static Websites: When Should You Choose?
If your website will only contain a few pages, a static website may be the best option. Public information is often posted on static websites. Companies and entrepreneurs frequently use dynamic websites because the information they feed them is often proprietary. Information that is restricted to dynamic websites is usually accessed by logging in.
Suppose you want to make a great-looking blog for your business. That would probably be best served by a static website. A static website is also useful for creating landing pages containing basic information about your company or products.
An eCommerce site with constantly changing inventory would benefit from a dynamic website. Using past purchases from the site, you could make recommendations to users. Using a dynamic site, you could prompt visitors to complete their shopping if they leave items in their cart. For progressive web applications (PWA) or other applications, you should also go with a dynamic website.
Consider what you need your website to do before deciding whether to build a static or dynamic site. You can create a website quickly with static website generators. While dynamic websites are more complex, they can offer more flexibility and adaptability to changing needs.
The Benefits of Caching for Websites
Let's explore how caching impacts the performance of a website. It is common for content delivery networks or CDNs to cache static content. Basically, CDNs temporarily store information on their edge servers so it can be downloaded more quickly by users, making a website load more quickly. Delivery of content is faster and more reliable when edge servers are distributed in a variety of geographical locations.
CDNs enable users to get content faster because they don't have to wait for servers to return it. Static content stored on an edge server near the browser is instead searched for. Due to this, the loading time of websites is reduced and performance is improved.
Boosting Your Website's Performance: How Do You Do It?
By utilizing the edge servers of a CDN, it may be possible to boost the performance of your website. Although traditional CDN solutions do not always have global coverage, they do experience outages. Multi CDN solutions such as AgileCDN's add significant value here.
AgileCDN combines the edge servers of several top-tier CDN vendors, directly addressing the global coverage issue. By constantly routing web traffic through the best CDNs, it further boosts your website's performance and minimizes downtime.
The monitoring system can also select from which data feeds to gather its data with AgileCDN. It will be possible to supply targeted performance and availability data more appropriate for static or dynamic websites with the right data feed. Using these data, we will be able to refine CDN optimization so that it is more suitable for static or dynamic websites, thus providing your site with an added boost in performance.