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Remix vs Next.js - Static Site Generation (SSG)

Part 4 - Static Site Generation
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    John Moscarillo
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The process of SSG involves using a generator tool to create static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files from a set of input data, such as markdown files, YAML, or JSON files, and templates. The generator tool takes this input data and combines it with the templates to create a set of static files that make up the website. The static files can be deployed to a web server or content delivery network (CDN) for users to access.

Static Site Generation has become increasingly popular among web developers due to its several benefits. Some of the advantages of SSG include:

Improved performance: SSG sites can be served much faster than dynamic websites since the content is pre-generated and does not require any processing on the server.

Better security: Since there is no server-side code or database access, SSG sites are less vulnerable to attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting.

Easier deployment: SSG sites are easier to deploy since they only require static files to be copied to a web server or CDN.

Lower hosting costs: Hosting static files is cheaper than hosting a dynamic website that requires server-side processing and a database.

Greater flexibility: SSG tools such as Hugo, Jekyll, and Gatsby allow developers to use a wide range of templates, preprocessors, and plugins to generate custom static sites.

Static Site Generation (SSG) is a technique that has gained popularity among web developers due to its many benefits. It involves pre-generating static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files from input data and templates, which are then served to users when they visit a website. SSG sites are faster, more secure, easier to deploy, and more flexible than traditional dynamic websites that generate content on the fly.

When it comes to building static sites, two popular frameworks for web development are Remix and Next.js. Both frameworks offer features such as code splitting, server-side rendering, and optimized static asset generation, which make it easier for developers to build and deploy static sites quickly and efficiently.

Remix does not support SSG yet, but it provides a guide on using distributed cloud technologies to optimize your app. Next supports SSG with getStaticProps, which pulls data from external sources at build time and renders a page to an HTML file. However, this can increase the build time linearly with your data.

Remix claims to be faster than Next at serving dynamic content, which is content that changes frequently or depends on user input. Remix also claims to handle errors, interruptions, and race conditions better than Next.

Remix builds heavily on React Router v6, which enables nested routing with nested layouts. Next has its own router, which does not support nested routing.

In conclusion, Static Site Generation is a powerful technique that offers many benefits to web developers. SSG is a powerful technique for building fast, secure, and flexible websites that can be easily deployed to a web server or CDN. As such, it's relevant for any web developer looking to improve website performance and security while reducing hosting costs and deployment time. Remix and Next.js are two popular frameworks that make it easier to build and deploy sites quickly and efficiently, however only Next.js supports SSG.