Jamstack is a way of building websites from pages that are made in advance and delivered from servers around the world, with small services for the live parts. Instead of one server that builds every page when asked, the pages are made ahead of time and the few things that need live logic come from separate services.
What is Jamstack?
Jamstack stands for JavaScript, APIs and Markup. The prebuilt pages are served from a CDN, with JavaScript and APIs handling the dynamic parts.
A Jamstack site has three layers. The markup layer is a set of finished pages, usually produced by a static site generatorA static site generator, such as Astro or Hugo, is a tool that builds all the pages of a website in advance, so visitors get ready-made files.. The JavaScript layer runs in the visitor’s browser and makes the page interactive. The API layer provides what a static page cannot do alone, such as sending a form, taking a payment or searching.
The files are placed on a CDNA CDN is a network of servers around the world that keeps copies of your website close to your visitors, so pages load fast wherever they are., which is a network of servers that holds copies and serves each visitor from a nearby location. No application server has to assemble a page for each request. This is a different shape from a classic site where the server and the database carry every visit.
What Jamstack means for your PHP site
A classic PHPPHP is a programming language that builds your web pages on the computer that hosts your site, just before they reach the visitor. WordPress runs on it. or WordPressWordPress is free software for building and editing a website in your browser. It is written in PHP, so it builds each page when someone visits. site is one application: PHP runs, the database answers, a page comes out. Jamstack takes that apart. The page is built once, so the public server needs no PHP and no database to show it. This keeps the attack surfaceThe attack surface is the total of all places where an attacker could try to get in, such as logins, forms, plugins and the code on your server. smaller, because there is less running code to reach, but it does not make the site invulnerable. The services you connect, your accounts and your build process all need care.
It also changes responsibilities. You depend on more outside services, each with its own terms, uptime and pricing. Pick them deliberately and write down what each does, so the site does not rely on something nobody remembers.
How to tell if it fits
Jamstack fits sites that are mostly content: company sites, blogs, documentation, landing pages and marketing sites. Dynamic needs are handled by small pieces. A contact form can post to a form service. Spam can be filtered with a check like TurnstileTurnstile is Cloudflare's privacy-friendly check that tells real people from bots on your forms, without making visitors solve puzzles.. A bit of custom logic can run in a serverlessServerless is a way to run code without looking after your own server: the provider runs your small pieces of code when needed and keeps the machinery updated. function.
It fits less well when every page is personal, when editors need to see changes live without a build, or when the dynamic part is the main product. In those cases a classic application, or a mix with a headless CMSA headless CMS is a system for editing content that has no website attached; a separate front end takes the content and builds the pages visitors see. in the middle, may be the better route.
Moving a PHP site to Jamstack
The steps are an inventory of what the current site really does, a rebuild with a generator, replacement of dynamic features with services, a test on a stagingA staging environment is a private copy of your website where you try updates first, so any mistakes happen there and not on the live site. address and a switch of the domainA domain name is the address people type to reach your website, such as yourcompany.com. It points visitors to wherever your site is hosted. with redirects. We handle that in our WordPress to static site service. If you mainly need a new home for the site, our PHP migration service covers that as well.
When to act
Look at Jamstack when your PHP versionA PHP version is a numbered edition of PHP, like 8.3. Each edition is looked after for a limited time, then gets security fixes only, then nothing. is close to its end of support, when your site is mostly content, or when you are tired of updates that keep breaking things. It is a clear option to put next to the usual choice of upgrading the existing application.
Frequently asked questions
What does Jamstack stand for?
The name is taken from JavaScript, APIs and Markup. Pages are prebuilt as markup, JavaScript handles interaction in the browser, and APIs provide anything that needs a server.
Is Jamstack the same as a static website?
It builds on one. The core is a static website, but Jamstack adds the idea that dynamic features, such as forms, search or payments, come from APIs and services rather than from a server of your own.
Do I need a CDN for Jamstack?
It is part of the usual approach. Prebuilt files are easy to copy to a CDN, which serves them from locations near the visitor. You can host them elsewhere, but you lose much of the benefit.
Is Jamstack right for every site?
No. It fits content-driven sites well. A site that depends on constant per-visitor changes or complex server logic may need a classic application, or a mix of both.