Back
Raymond Rinaldi: Working with Static Sites: Bringing the Power of Simplicity to Modern Sites (2017, O'Reilly Media) 3 stars

An introduction to making website with static site generators.

3 stars

An interesting book that gives an overview of static site generators and what they can do to help you create websites without using dynamic site generators.

The book starts with a brief overview of how static site generators work and the advantages and disadvantages of using such site generators. A simple website is then created using Harp, showing how templates, partials and data are put together to generate the website. A blogging site is then created using Jekyll, showing how blog posts can be put up and organized. A documentation site for a sample programming language is put together using Hugo, showing how to categorize the information.

Adding dynamic elements to static websites are then provided, like handing forms, comments and custom search are then covered. Finally, options for using a CMS (Content Management System) to generate the information for static site generations are mentioned for those who are used to such system for content entry.

Methods to deploy a static site are then covered, mainly cloud servers, ending with how to migrate your current dynamic site to a static site.

In summary, the book is a quick introduction to static sites and may give you some ideas on how to use one and what to look for in a static site generator.