Top JAMstack Frameworks to Choose!
Since the emergence of the internet, apps, and websites have been the prime marketing tool for businesses. Not only every business owner wants them, but they have become a necessity in the current era.
Now, the way you make a website decides how quickly you can hit the market with a better user experience. As per stats, it takes around 14 weeks to build a website.
Unlike earlier times when programmers had to code every page individually, today, you can use a CMS system to do all the heavy work for you. You can use pre-built templates and add your preferred content to them in minimum time.
As the CMS has some drawbacks that affect user experience, JAMstack frameworks have become highly popular these days for website development.
Now, what are they? How do they work, and what are their types? All of these questions will be answered in the sections below. So, keep reading!
What is a JAMstack?
JAMstack is an awesome alternative to modern-day CMSs. It basically splits the parts of the CMS into Javascript, APIs, and Markup.
The splitting of these elements ensures that there is less need for a server to handle the requests. As all three of these operate independently, it significantly reduces the load and dependency on the server.
In a CMS, everything is handled within the same system, so the tech stack needs to be synced well. However, the JAMstack architecture allows the developers to use their own preferred tech stack as every part of it is independent or decoupled.
For example, if you want to use Python instead of Javascript for displaying the content on the frontend, you can. JAMstack permits different technologies, unlike CMS.
In short, the key motive behind the use of JAMstack is to make the system serverless. JAMstack aims to shift maximum tasks to the client-side so as to improve performance and speed.
Why use JAMstack architecture?
Well, there is not one but numerous reasons to use JAMstack architecture for website development. Here are some of them!
Enhanced Performance
One of the distinguishable aspects of the JAMstack framework is enhanced performance.
As it totally takes the pressure off the server, all of the potentially requested content can be stored on the CDN. The availability of content on the content distribution network reduces the processes involved in loading the web pages. Thus, improving speed and performance.
Better user experiences
The motive behind doing all of this is to provide an excellent user experience. With JAMstack, SSGs or static site generators come packed that are highly utilitarian in providing better UX. How?
Unlike CMS, you don’t have to rely on themes and plugins for making the frontend of the website. Additionally, in CMS, you are limited to certain aspects. However, JAMstack has all its elements decoupled, which means you can make endless modifications as you like in the pages of the website.
Yes, you will be required to make code changes to the pages created by SSGs, but they will surely boost the user experience. On top of that, the speed will also be more.
Faster output
As per Portent, the initial 5 seconds of the website load time significantly affect the conversion rate. Therefore, speed is the factor that makes or breaks the website.
With JAMstack, the page or website load time can be readily boosted. How?
Rather than sending requests to the server, JAMstack frameworks use a content distribution network (CDN) for serving and pre-building the pages. The CDN can store cached content like pages built by the SSG and can further update it if any changes are made. Dynamic changes can be made with the help of APIs.
As the server has nothing to do with this except the new changes, the speed of the output increases exponentially.
More choices of frameworks
The last but not the least reason to go for a JAMstack framework is the number of choices. There are a number of JAMstack frameworks, and we are going to explore them in the next section.
Top 5 JAMstack frameworks to work with!
So, if you have decided to use a JAMstack framework for your upcoming website, here are some prime choices!
Nuxt.js
Nuxt.js is number one on the list, and there are reasons for it. It is based on Vue.js and has some remarkable features that can help you build and deploy the website within minutes.
The open-source framework takes complete care of combining libraries, optimizing speed, SEO, and organizing code. On top of that, it is modular and offers a superior developer experience.
Hugo
Built using the Go language; Hugo is an excellent static site generator that allows developers to build websites in a creative way.
Aiming to provide a better user experience and website performance, Hugo builds the pages only when the content is generated or updated. Therefore, offering all that you need in a defined budget.
Gatsby
As Amazon is to online shopping, Gatsby is to the JAMstack framework. It is one of the most utilitarian JAMstack frameworks. Why?
Well, there are many reasons for that. First of all, it has a vast set of capabilities like CSS, analytics, eCommerce, search, and UI. On top of that, Gatsby also caters you with a modern and intuitive static site generator. It comes with detailed documentation and plugins.
Jekyll
Jekyll is a static site generator that came from the revolutionary mind of GitHub’s co-founder, Tom Preston. The co-founder made it in a way that it is fit to build any type of website, such as a personal blog site, a small business site, or a big enterprise-level website.
Next.js
Next is an out-of-the-box choice for web developers as it can be used to make hybrid applications. The Automatic Static Optimization feature helps you build statically-rendered and server-rendered web pages.
The framework is an ideal pick for high-performing and user-friendly websites as it has the maximum popularity in the market right now.
Pros and Cons of JAMstack
Here are some of the prime benefits and drawbacks of JAMstack frameworks!
Pros
- Security: Most of the cyberattacks are focused on servers or databases. The JAMstack framework takes them entirely out of the picture. As all the elements are decoupled, there is no chance of a malicious attack on the framework, unlike CMS.
- Scalability: As there are no servers and you rely on a powerful CDN, there will be no hassle for you in expanding. Another reason is all the heavy lifting done on the client’s end.
- Better developer experience: Developers can use their own tech stack; therefore, there is no need for them to rely on a particular one. Moreover, the decoupling of the three elements in JAMstack offers them immense flexibility to develop better apps.
- Speed: As database or server-related calls are very limited in JAMstack, the page loading speed increases remarkably.
Cons
- Issues with dynamic features: This does not mean that you cannot implement dynamic features using JAMstack. You can do it with the help of APIs, but it will take more resources and time.
- Hassle in updating: Everything in JAMstack is static. So, if any changes are required in the pages of the website, developers have to do them manually, which takes time.
- Not fit for content editors: Editors need to be technical to deal with JAMstack. As it will take time to make them fit for it, it will not be a good option for them.
Conclusion: Is There a Future of JAMstack?
Well, there is no exact answer! If your site needs or would need frequent updates, dynamic CMS is the best option. However, if it needs minimal updates and you know it, using JAMstack can do wonders for you.
Therefore, you need to make your pick wisely. There will be no point in showing an old page to the visitors, no matter how fast it loads.
