In the modern economy, having a quality website is a must if you want to connect with customers and drive sales. Advancements in developmental technology and programming have revolutionized the way that companies achieve this goal.
One such solution being used to create modern web pages is JAMstack technologies.
Technically, JAMstack is not a single solution but a “stack” of them. They include JavaScript frameworks, APIs, Markdown, static site generators, and more.
You can learn more about the JAMstack here: A Fast Overview of the JAMstack.
And if you'd like something a little more advanced: 6 JAMstack Best Practices from this JAMstack Development Agency
While all aspects of the stack are important to web developers, static site generators (SSGs) like Gatsby JS are particularly useful.
#What Are Static Site Generators?
Simply put, static site generators are software applications that are used to create HTML pages.
They perform this task using various components and templates from a chosen content source.
Gatsby JS accepts Markdown text files, but it can also utilize other formatting styles.
Static site generators serve as a great alternative to database-driven systems like Drupal.
Generally, static site generators are much faster because of the loading system utilized. Database-driven systems do not pre-render whereas static site generators do.
Many companies prefer static site generators because it improves the UX.
#What Is Gatsby JS?
As noted above, Gatsby JS is a specific static site generator. It is a React-based system that is powered by GraphQL.
By seamlessly combining the best aspects of React and GraphQL, Gatsby JS provides you with an enjoyable front-end framework. It can be used to create JAMstack.
Gatsby JS is best known for its blazing speeds and user-friendly design.
It relies on its preconfiguration capabilities to facilitate website building. It only uses static files, which is the source of its superior loading speeds.
Other key features of Gatsby JS include:
- Code splitting
- Fast page loading
- Server-side rendering
- Intelligent image loading
- Optimization of assets
- Data prefetching
The combination of all of these out of the box features are what makes Gatsby JS truly unique in the crowded static site generator marketplace. It is purposefully built to improve the user experience while simultaneously reducing load times.
#What Are the Benefits of Gatsby JS?
Gatsby JS is rapidly becoming the premier static site generator on the market today. It is feature-laden, which means that it can meet the demands of just about any site build.
#Server-Side Loading
Among its many features, server-side loading is especially helpful in improving the client experience.
Server-side loading means that your webpage will be “built” on the back side when someone navigates to your site. Once the page populates onto their screen, it will already be finished rendering and appear complete.
This eliminates annoying glitches and lags that can discourage web traffic.
#Code Splitting
Code splitting is another feature of Gatsby JS that improves speeds, especially on more complex sites. The information required at the initial page load will be downloaded immediately.
After your page becomes interactive for the front-end user, the additional script will be downloaded. This creates the appearance of faster browsing speeds. However, Gatsby JS is simply prioritizing information.
#Plug-Ins
Gatsby JS is a great product right from the start. However, the developers wanted to create a superior static site generator. In order to accomplish this goal, they include dozens of plug-ins on their page.
These extensions expand the already broad capabilities of Gatsby JS by adding specialized functions.
Gatsby JS plug-ins cover a variety of subjects, including CMS, CSS, Analytics, and even E-commerce functions.
These plug-ins can save you time and money during the development process, allowing you to get a functional site up and running sooner.
#Gatsby JS in Action
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s true, then seeing a user-friendly and high-performing website built with Gatsby JS must be worth many more.
At With Pulp, to say we are excited about the capabilities of the Gatsby JS static site generator would be a huge understatement. However, we don’t want you to just take our word for it, see for yourself.
Our entire site was built from the ground up using Gatsby JS. Our team built these sites using Gatsby JS as well:
#How Can I Learn or Implement Gatsby JS?
After seeing the advanced site building capabilities of JAMstack and Gatsby JS, you are probably eager to learn it or apply it to your digital products yourself.
Fortunately, it is one of the most user-friendly static site generators available.
The Gatsby JS team provides you with free tutorials that walk you through the generator, step by step. This is a great resource for your development teams to ramp up and take advantage of the performance and ease-of-use of Gatsby JS.
On the flip side, you might need to augment your development team with Gatsby JS and JAMstack specialists. In that case, you have come to the right place.
With Pulp is a JAMstack development agency. We specialize in building blazing fast websites with Gatsby JS, React, Vue JS and more.
When you partner with us, you work with a dedicated team of UX designers and developers that share in bringing your vision to life.
If you are ready to elevate your customer and employee experience, then it's time to collaborate with our team.