What is JAMstack and why you should try it
Tags: jamstack, staticsites, netlify
Published: 2018-04-16 07:16:54

---
title: What is JAMstack and why you should try it
published: true
description: This article explains what JAMstack is and the reasons why you should use it.
tags: #jamstack #staticsites #netlify
---
 
Have you ever wanted to build a modern web application without all the gimmick then you should have already heard of the `JAMstack` where `JAM` stands for `JavaScript API's and Markup`.

### "JAMstack: noun \’jam-stak’\
### Modern web development architecture based on client-side JavaScript, reusable APIs, and prebuilt Markup"

The ever-changing world of the web never ceases to amaze us. Static Websites are popular, super efficient and extremely fast which makes it a good fit for blogs, resumes, portfolio, landing pages and documentation. So yeah Jamstack is cool why should i use it you ask?

### Reasons You Should Consider JAMstack

- **Better Performance**: If you ever wanted to build your websites on the go with flawless speed and performance your best choice will be to go with the JAMstack. Build your files only on deployment served over a CDN.

- **Cheap and Fast Deployment**: Jamstack websites can easily be deployed without going through the hassle of configuring databases, securing .htaccess and so on. We are only dealing with static files so it is easy to integrate a [fast CDN](https://www.slant.co/topics/2256/~static-website-hosting-provider) to get up and running.

- **Awesome Developer Experience**: Learning and using JAMstack is not as difficult as you might think it is. With just HTML, CSS and JS experience developers can build complex websites. JAMstack doesn't require a complex language to start with, It also allows the selection of CMS options for site generators remove the need to maintain a separate stack for content and marketing.

- ** High-Security**: Static Websites have a very low potential for vulnerabilities because it is just HTML files and external API handling served over a CDN. This reduces any possible risk or attack on the website. It is easy to integrate SSL certificate with [Let's Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org/). Also, leverage the use of server-side microservice APIs to secure the websites.

- **Great Community**: The JAMstack community is growing over time. New support for various functionality springs up every day. Even exciting is the [local community meetups](https://jamstack.org/community/) being created. The [Online community](https://gitter.im/jamstack/community) is also amazing.

Another great feature to consider is the ability to integrate core dynamic functionalities into JAMstack websites. JAMstack is more or less hyper-dynamic than you can imagine, This technology has the ability to handle dynamic server-side features, thinking of handling backend functions tools like [Webtask](https://webtask.io/) and [Serverless](https://serverless.com/). Form handling on the go with [Formspree](https://formspree.io/) or [Netlify Forms](https://www.netlify.com/docs/form-handling/). Full Search capability [Google Search](https://cse.google.com/cse/), [lunr.js](https://lunrjs.com/) and [Algolia](https://www.algolia.com/) is  There are quite a number of tools available to integrate with JAMstack. The list is available [here](https://www.thenewdynamic.org/tools/) and [here](http://cloudcannon.com/tips/2014/12/12/the-ultimate-list-of-services-for-static-websites.html)

A whole lot of companies have already joined the bandwagon so what are you waiting for?

## Examples of websites

![screenshot](http://res.cloudinary.com/lauragift/image/upload/v1523804538/2-screenshot_r6uux6.png)
![screenshot](http://res.cloudinary.com/lauragift/image/upload/v1523804647/JAMstack_JavaScript_APIs_and_Markup_1_ys6djd.png)

## Useful JAMstack Resources

- [StaticGen.com](http://www.staticgen.com/)
- [5 Reasons to try JAMstack](https://builtvisible.com/go-static-try-jamstack/)
- [Jamstack.org](https://jamstack.org/)
- [Using A Static Site Generator At Scale: Lessons Learned by SmashingMag](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2016/08/using-a-static-site-generator-at-scale-lessons-learned/)
- [Build a Static Site with Hugo and Deploy with Netlify](https://www.giftegwuenu.com/2018/03/20/build-a-static-site-with-hugo-and-deploy-with-netlify/)
- [Static Websites + JAMstack = <3](https://julian.is/article/static-websites-and-jamstack/)
- [An Introduction to Static Site Generators](https://davidwalsh.name/introduction-static-site-generators)
- [JAMstack Group](https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8722827/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3BFrE4olejSPmZSCoVpzV1cg%3D%3D)
- [JAMstack Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/JAMstack_dev/)
- [Bejamas Blog](https://bejamas.io/blog/headless-cms/)

Originally posted on [my blog](https://www.giftegwuenu.com/what-is-ja-mstack-and-why-you-should-try-it)