Static site, CMS or backend
A static site produces its pages in advance, a backend computes them at each request, and a content management system (CMS) adds an editing interface to either approach.
- Static site. For content that changes up to a few times a week. Every page is finished before the first request.
- Build (on our machine): Most of the work
- Deploy (on the server): A little work
- Visit (each visitor): No work
- On demand (an extra): No work
- With CMS. For teams that edit texts and images themselves. Each change builds and publishes the affected pages.
- Build (on our machine): Some work
- Deploy (on the server): Some work
- Visit (each visitor): No work
- On demand (an extra): No work
- With backend. For sites that compute answers, such as bookings, logins or prices. Part of the work happens while the visitor waits.
- Build (on our machine): A little work
- Deploy (on the server): A little work
- Visit (each visitor): Most of the work
- On demand (an extra): A little work
- Left of the line is the work done before the visit, right of it the work a visitor waits for.
What it is
Every page is assembled from templates, texts, images and data. What separates the three kinds of website is the moment this happens. A Static siteA website whose pages are generated as finished HTML files before anyone visits. The server only delivers files and computes nothing per request.In the glossary renders every address into a finished HTML file during the BuildThe automated step that turns source files, texts and images into the finished files of a website. For a static site it produces every page in advance.In the glossary, and the DeployPublishing a new version of a website by putting its built files on the server or CDN, where visitors can reach them.In the glossary copies those files to a server that only hands them out. A BackendThe part of a website or app that runs on a server. It stores data and computes answers that depend on the person using it, such as bookings, logins or prices.In the glossary is a program on a server that computes what depends on the visitor or the moment: bookings, logins, stock or prices. A CMSContent management system: software with an editing interface in which texts, images and pages change without writing code. WordPress runs 35.6 percent of all mobile pages (Web Almanac 2025).In the glossary adds an editing interface, so texts and images change without touching code. Classic systems such as WordPress assemble the page on the server at each request, while a headless CMS supplies content to a static build, which runs again after every change. Many sites combine the approaches, with static pages and a small backend for a form or a booking calendar. According to the Web Almanac 2025, 54 percent of mobile pages run on a CMS, and WordPress alone powers 35.6 percent of all mobile pages.
Why it matters
Work done at the moment of the request is work the visitor waits for. Because static pages exist before anyone asks for them, web.dev describes their TTFBTime to First Byte: the time from the start of a navigation until the first byte of the response arrives. web.dev rates 0.8 seconds or less as good and more than 1.8 seconds as poor.In the glossary as consistently fast, and they can be served from a CDNContent delivery network: servers in many locations that keep copies of a website's files and deliver them from a location near the visitor, which shortens the distance and the waiting time.In the glossary close to the visitor. A page generated on the server at every request can raise that time, since the server first has to compute the answer. web.dev rates a TTFBTime to First Byte: the time from the start of a navigation until the first byte of the response arrives. web.dev rates 0.8 seconds or less as good and more than 1.8 seconds as poor.In the glossary of 0.8 seconds or less as good and more than 1.8 seconds as poor. The choice also shapes operating costs and risk: a static site runs no database or application code on its web server, which leaves less to update and less to attack. A system that runs code at every visit needs a database, updates and monitoring for as long as the site is online.
What to look for
The choice follows two questions: how often does the content change, and what must the site compute? Pages that change up to a few times a week suit a static build, with or without a CMS for editing. A static site needs a new build for every change and has to know all of its addresses in advance. web.dev notes that this becomes difficult or infeasible when there are very many pages or their addresses cannot be predicted. A CMS is worth it when several people edit regularly; a classic CMS with plugins also needs constant security updates. A backend is unavoidable for personal accounts, payments and live data. CachingKeeping a copy of a response so it does not have to be fetched or computed again. The Cache-Control header tells browsers and CDNs how long a copy stays valid.In the glossary narrows the gap between the approaches, and pages from a backend profit most. Files whose names change with their content can be cached by the browser for a long time, which makes a second visit load almost nothing new.