Single Page Applications vs Static Site Generator

Developers should learn SPAs when building interactive, dynamic web applications where seamless user experience is critical, such as dashboards, social media platforms, or productivity tools meets developers should use static site generators for content-heavy websites like blogs, documentation, portfolios, and marketing sites where content changes infrequently. Here's our take.

Single Page Applications

Nice Pick

Developers should learn SPAs when building interactive, dynamic web applications where seamless user experience is critical, such as dashboards, social media platforms, or productivity tools

Pros

• They are ideal for applications requiring fast navigation between views, real-time updates, and offline capabilities, as they reduce server load and improve perceived performance by minimizing page refreshes
• Related to: javascript, react

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Static Site Generator

Developers should use Static Site Generators for content-heavy websites like blogs, documentation, portfolios, and marketing sites where content changes infrequently

Pros

• They are ideal when performance, security, and low hosting costs are priorities, as static files reduce server load and vulnerabilities compared to dynamic server-rendered sites
• Related to: markdown, git

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Single Page Applications is a concept while Static Site Generator is a tool. We picked Single Page Applications based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Single Page Applications wins

Based on overall popularity. Single Page Applications is more widely used, but Static Site Generator excels in its own space.