JAMstack and the modern web

What is the jamstack?

The term Jamstack sounds a little strange, especially considering it’s now a common phrase used around the web. “JAMstack” simply stands for JavaScript, API & Markup.

But, why use the jamstack?

Oldschool web applications seem sluggish

With traditional websites and applications the term for this is called a monolithic architecture. In a nutshell, this describes the process of building and delivering the complete website code every time a visitor makes a request on a web page. This is a costly and timely expense and can also provide a poor user experience to the end user.

In a Jamstack architecture, however, the frontend and backend are decoupled. A Jamstack frontend consists of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Jamstack frameworks, such as NextJS, GatsbyJS then generate these files during the build process.

The idea behind the Jamstack provides users a ready made and fully compiled frontend that loads instantly, data is then fetched and delivered via backend services and API’s.

Enter the future of the web, with the Jamstack the challenges mentioned above are no longer an issue. Find below the main benefits:

Advantages of a Jamstack architecture

• Speed: Jamstack sites lack the overhead caused by software and database layers. As a result, they render and load more quickly than sites that use monolithic architectures.
• Hosting flexibility: Because they’re static files, Jamstack sites can be hosted anywhere at a very cheap price, or even for free.
• Improved Developer experience: Frontend developers can build sites without needing to know a server-side language. Backend developers can focus on building APIs. Decoupled development teams can work in parallel, allowing each team to focus on what they do best. Our team at Saigon Digital love working with modern workflow and tools such as React with Gatsby JS and Next JS.
• Enhance security: Running a static website that doesn’t have a database or a backend software layer means that Jamstack sites are not exposed or vulnerable to SQL injection attacks or server side code injection attacks. Furthermore websites are served over a content delivery network which prevents DDOS (denial of service attacks). Vulnerabilities that existed for a long time with monolithic architecture are no longer.

Jamstack can help you build faster, more secure websites, with search engine optimization and accessibility features already built in. See how we can help elevate your new web project using the Jamstack.