What JAM Stack Can Do for You

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The vast majority of sites on the net today total fewer than a dozen pages and do not require frequent updating. For these sites, the JAM stack approach has major advantages over the traditional dynamic application server model: it’s faster, cheaper, easier to build and maintain, and offers baked-in security. • Faster Performance: JAM stack involves very little server-side work: there’s no need to query a database, and the code has already been compiled. Every user gets the same page. (If you need dynamic elements, those too get handled client-side through third-party tools like Disqus). All of which means pages can be returned up to six times faster. • Vastly Simplified Updating: Since everything from JavaScript to markdown is stored in a git repository, it’s dead easy to set up continuous deployment so your site is updated every time new content gets pushed. • Built-in Reliability and User Scalability: On a CDN, with the load distributed across the entire network, if there is a sudden unexpected user surge (like when your app goes viral!) or a partial network fail, the CDN seamlessly compensates. • Greater Security: First off, the absence of a database makes a static site incredibly secure — practically a fortress, even. For example, it’s immune to SQL injection; also, fewer server interactions equal fewer targets for malicious hijacks. And, since by design JAM stack greatly cuts the number of moving parts involved in project development, devs can much more easily catch and fix any potential vulnerabilities that do arise. • Less Cost: We know why you’re really here: the overall expense of building, maintaining, and deploying a JAM stack site is lower. Thanks to keeping the focus on the front end, the development team can be smaller and swifter. With no database required, fewer servers are needed and hosting is also drastically cheaper.