A static website is one that has web pages stored on the server in the format that is sent to a client web browser. It is primarily coded in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML); Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are used to control appearance beyond basic HTML. Images are commonly used to effect the desired appearance and as part of the main content. Audio or video might also be considered “static” content if it plays automatically or is generally non-interactive.
This type of website usually displays the same information to all visitors. Similar to handing out a printed brochure to customers or clients, a static website will generally provide consistent, standard information for an extended period of time. Although the website owner may make updates periodically, it is a manual process to edit the text, photos and other content and may require basic website design skills and software. Static websites can be edited using four broad categories of software:
- Text editors – used for editing code
- Web editors – used for creating and editing web pages
- FTP – used for managing and deploying website content.
Difference Between Static Websites and Dynamic Websites?
A dynamic website is one that changes or customizes itself frequently and automatically. Server-side dynamic pages are generated “on the fly” by computer code that produces the HTML (CSS are responsible for appearance and thus, are static files). Client-side pages are generated by the web browser using HTML and JavaScript code.
What Is Static Website Hosting in S3?
Static website hosting in S3 is a service that enables you to host a static website on Amazon S3. With static website hosting, you can host a website that uses only client-side technologies. To use static website hosting, you must create a website that consists only of static content, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. You configure an Amazon S3 bucket for website hosting, and then upload your website content to the bucket. When users enter your website’s domain name in a web browser, Amazon S3 returns the content of the corresponding HTML file.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Static Websites?
Advantages:
- Low cost – static websites are much cheaper to develop than dynamic websites.
- Easy to develop – Simple programming is required to develop a static website.
- Easy to host – static websites can be hosted on any web server.
- Easy to maintain – static websites are easier to maintain than dynamic websites.
Disadvantages:
- Limited functionality – static websites cannot provide the same level of functionality as dynamic websites.
- Limited interactivity – static websites are not as interactive as dynamic websites.
- Limited scalability – static websites are not as scalable as dynamic websites.
