Why I Built My Own Static Site Generator

Static site generators (SSGs) have become increasingly popular, and for good reason. But instead of using an existing solution, I decided to build my own. Here's why.

Benefits of Static Site Generators

Speed

Static sites are blazingly fast. There's no database queries, no server-side rendering—just pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript delivered directly to the browser.

Security

No server code to exploit, no database vulnerabilities. Your attack surface is dramatically reduced.

Simplicity

Write content in markdown, commit to git, and deploy. No complicated deployment processes or infrastructure to maintain.

Cost

Hosting static sites is cheap. You can deploy to GitHub Pages, Vercel, or AWS S3 for pennies.

Why Build Your Own?

While existing SSGs like Hugo, Jekyll, and Gatsby are excellent, building my own allowed me to:

1. Learn the internals - Understanding how markdown parsing, template rendering, and file generation work deepens my technical knowledge
2. Full customization - No plugin ecosystem limitations. I can implement exactly what I need
3. Lightweight output - Only the features I actually use, nothing bloated
4. Complete control - Own my deployment process and content management

The Architecture

My generator:

• Reads markdown files with YAML frontmatter
• Parses content and metadata
• Renders content using reusable HTML templates
• Generates static HTML files
• Compiles Tailwind CSS for styling

Simple, elegant, and effective.

Conclusion

Building tools, even when alternatives exist, is a valuable learning experience. It forces you to understand the problem deeply and make intentional decisions about solutions.

If you're interested in building your own generator or learning how these tools work internally, I encourage you to try it. The knowledge you gain is invaluable.

Happy building! 💻