CMS for Static Websites
BeginnerQuick Answer
TL;DR
A CMS for a static website manages content in a structured interface and feeds it into a static site generator (like Next.js, Astro, Hugo, or Eleventy) at build time. The result is a pre-rendered HTML site with no server-side processing — fast, secure, and cheap to host. Options range from Git-based CMSes (Decap, TinaCMS) to headless cloud CMSes (Sanity, Contentful, Prismic).
Key Takeaways
- Static sites are pre-built HTML files served directly from a CDN — no database queries at request time
- A CMS for static sites either stores content in Git (Git-based CMS) or in a cloud API (headless CMS)
- Headless CMSes offer richer editing experiences and are better for non-technical editors
- Git-based CMSes keep content in your repository alongside code, which suits developer-led teams
- Build times and incremental regeneration support matter more for static sites than for server-rendered apps