There are a number of reasons why someone would use a static site generator for their website. Static sites are easier to maintain (no databases, no server-side scripts) and are more secure, considering the fact that users are only served HTML, CSS and Javascript files. While you can directly write code in HTML to create a static site, the process can be a bit strenuous, which is where static site generators come into play. Static site generators convert (or compile) a bunch of different resource files into one website, which means that the content can be kept separate from the layout code and any site assets like images can also be kept apart. So, if you’ve been on the lookout for a good static site generator for your website, here are the 12 best static site generators you can use in 2020.

If you are looking to build a full-fledged website that brings features like blogging, e-commerce, and more, you should read our article on Squarespace alternatives by clicking on the link. On the other hand, our collection of best portfolio websites is the place to be for upcoming designers and artists. With that out of our way, let’s get to the list.

Jekyll is based on the Liquid Template Engine by Shopify. It runs entirely on Ruby, so it is easily installable along with dependencies using rvm, or using bundler. Jekyll also has easy migration options, if you are looking to migrate from WordPress, Blogger or any other blogging site. It beats every other static site generator out there, hands down, in terms of user size and the best part is that it’s under active development.

One of the great things about Hexo is that you can use the most of the plugins that are made for Octopress and by extension, plugins made for Jekyll with very minor modifications.

Pelican is a static site generator built on Python. It features multi-language content posting, code (syntax) highlighting, as well as easy generation of RSS and Atom Feeds. Pelican has a nice selection of Plugins, all of which are hosted on a central GitHub repository. It supports 3 document formats by default: Markdown, reStructuredText, and Ascii Doc.

4. Gatsby

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You can install Middleman using Ruby using this command: gem install middleman

Metalsmith is also based on Node.js and it can be installed using the node package manager using this command: $ npm install metalsmith

Hugo is written in the Go programming language, and it offers separate installation files for different platforms on its GitHub page. You can follow these installation instructions to install Hugo on your device.

For customization, Octopress’ code makes it easier for users to modify code and write their own code. What’s really great is that a number of plugins for Octopress are compatible with Jekyll (and vice-versa) so you can try out both the services without worrying about compatibility issues.

  • git clone

  • git://github.com/imathis/octopress.get

  • octopress

  • cd octopress

  • gem install bundler

  • rbenv rehash; # If you use rbenv, rehash to be able to run the bundle command

  • bundle install

  • rake install

Visit Octopress

Docpad has native support for pre processors, like Coffeescript, Stylus and LESS, and uses plugins for supporting template engines, pre processors and markup languages, so you can choose whatever combinations you want by using the necessary plugin. Docpad also supports importing pages from external sources like Tumblr, GitHub and Dropbox through plugins.

Harp is another great static site generator which comes with in-built pre-processing for Jade, Markdown, LESS, Sass, Coffeescript, EjS and Stylus without any extra configuration. The service lets you use layouts/partial paradigm with Jade and EjS, which needs special plugins on other static site generators.

Based on an advanced modular architecture, Nuxt is one of the finest static site generators. Packed with more than 50 modules, it’s fully equipped to speed up your development. Another notable feature of this static site generator is that it ideally optimizes your application so that it can smoothly run on various platforms. Featuring a bundle analyzer, it makes sure you are able to fine-tune your app, getting rid of all the flaws.