Static vs. Dynamic vs. Jamstack: Where’s The Line?

You’ll often hear developers talking about “static” vs. “dynamic” sites, or you may have heard someone use the term Jamstack. What do these terms mean, and when does a “static” site become either a Jamstack or dynamic site? These questions sound simple, but they’re more nuanced than they appear. Let’s explore these terms to gain a deeper understanding of Jamstack.

What’s the difference between a chair and a stool? Most people will respond that a chair has four legs and back support, whereas a stool has three legs with no back support.

The more stool-like a chair becomes, the fewer people will unequivocally agree that it’s a chair. Eventually, we’ll reach a point where most people agree it’s a stool rather than a chair. It may sound like a silly exercise, but if we want to have a deep appreciation of what it means to be a chair, it’s a valuable one. We find out where the limits of a chair are for most people. We also build an understanding of the gray area beyond. Eventually, we get to the point where even the biggest die-hard chair fans concede and admit there’s a stool in front of them.

As interesting as chairs are, this is an article about website delivery technology. Let’s perform this same exercise for static, dynamic, and Jamstack websites.

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